Royal Flush
by EmMarie96
Summary: Meet the Royals, the gang made up of the Greaser's kid sisters! Led by Ace, how much trouble could they possibly get into? Don't forget about the other gangs: the Soc's, the Prisms, the Greasers, and, of course, the extremely attractive Stallions! Not what you might think. "Hanging out in front of the movie theater late at night is a decent way to start a story..." T for language.
1. Chapter 1

Hanging out in front of the movie theater late at night is a decent way to start a story.

That's what I was thinking as I leaned against a streetlight, watching Echo smoke a cigarette. I wasn't smoking, I wasn't allowed to. What's more, if I came home smelling like cigarettes, I'd get the living daylights beaten out of me.

I made sure to stand downwind of the smoke, and I blew it away as I straightened out my skirt. I hate wearing skirts, but I was too lazy to do laundry this week so it was the only clean thing I had.

"So that's when Skittery says, 'I'm busy now, can I ignore you some other time?'" Echo rambled on, finishing a story. "You know there's no way in hell I was gonna take that, so I decked him and said he was a no-good, ape faced, hard-ass-"

She proceeded to use her extensive vocabulary of cuss words, and I was impressed at how long she kept it up. It must've been six minutes straight, and she didn't stumble once.

"Anyway," she continued, once she had run out of ways to combine the expletives, "when I was done, Skittery just stood there, kind of stunned, until he finally stuttered an, 'I'm tellin' your brother!' I just laughed at him, and said Two-Bit would probably buy me a cherry soda. So, sorry, but it doesn't look like we're going to get the Stallions on our side for quite a while."

I nodded thoughtfully. It would've been nice to form an alliance with the Stallions, the small gang across town, but if Echo couldn't get along with the leader, I don't think the rest of the Royal girls would either.

I'm the leader of the Royal Flushes, or just the Royals if you're gonna shorten it. It's kind of an ironic name, since none of us have ever been dealt a good hand in our lives, but it just goes to show that sometimes all we need is luck on our side.

It's a pretty tuff gang, mostly because we all learned from the best- the Greasers. The Royals members are all kid sisters of someone or other: there's Echo Matthews, Two-Bit's kid sister; Scarlett Randle, Steve's kid sister; Montgomery Winston, Dallas's kid sister, Lindsay Cade, Johnny's kid sister; and Mickey Shepard, Tim and Curly's kid sister.

Echo's my best friend, and her real name is Ashley, but we hardly ever call her that. She got her nickname because she tends to repeat everything her brother says, so she has the biggest mouth of us all. She can lie real good, and can cuss even better. She's 16, like me. Another thing she gets from her brother is her sticky fingers. She don't get caught nearly as much as he does, though.

Scar is our firecracker. She has the shortest fuse out of anyone I've ever met, and she'll beat the daylights out of you before you can blink twice. No one can tell she's only 14, as she's tall for her age. Her short temper usually gets the Royals in trouble with other gangs. I can't think of a fight that didn't start with her.

Montgomery's 17, and even though she's the oldest, she never wanted to be the leader. Sometimes we call her Spots, on account of she's always got paint spots on her- in her hair, on her fingers, sometimes even on her face. She's something of an artist, and she's managed to sell a few of her own pieces off.

Lindsay is the baby, only being 12. To put it kindly, well, the kid is scared of her own shadow. We keep her around, because she can usually be counted on to keep her head and think stuff through for us. Also, it keeps her out of her house. Her old man don't care he's beating up a girl when he's drunk. I think Johnny's glad we took her in.

Finally, Mickey. She's kind of slow on the draw, but handy in a pinch. She's in the middle, being 15, and even though sometimes we don't get along, she knows that I'm the leader, since its _my_ gang. She's got long, golden blonde hair and wide set blue eyes. I've always thought she was the prettiest out of all of us, but Lindsay and Montgomery insist it's me. They think I look like a movie star, but I don't see it.

"He's cute, though, don't you think so, Ace?" Echo asked, probably referring to Skittery.

Oh yeah, to the gang, I'm Ace. That's not my real name, but since my parents had a thing for unusual names, there's no way I was gonna let anyone call me by my given one. Anyone who so much as mumbled my name would get some sense knocked into them real quick.

I grinned. "He's not bad."

Echo nodded thoughtfully, and we stood in silence for a few moments.

"Ace, ya think we should be getting back?" Echo finally asked, tossing down her cigarette and shoving her hands into the pockets of her oversized jacket.

"Your mom's probably getting worried about you," I agreed, running my hands through my shoulder-length, dark reddish brown hair.

"Hell nawh, she ain't even home tonight," Echo laughed, as her blue eyes sparkled. "I meant _you_. You're gonna get your ass whipped if you're not home pretty soon."

"You're probably right," I sighed, glancing up at the stars. "I think it's past my curfew. I'll catch you later, Echo."

"See ya," my friend waved, as she skittered off through an alley.

I headed back to my house. As I approached it, I saw that all the lights were on. Figures.

When I reached the porch, I quickly brushed the dirt off myself so I looked presentable. My arm was still bleeding a little from where I had sliced it hopping a fence running away from some Soc's earlier today, but I couldn't do anything about that now. I combed my hair with my fingers for one last attempt at neatness, then pushed open the front door.

"Where the _hell _have you been, Emerald Grace?" Darry demanded when I entered the house.

I sighed. Only my brothers could get away with calling me by my name, but that didn't mean I liked it.

"Chill, Darry," Sodapop put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "It's only 10:30."

"Yeah, she ain't _that _late," Ponyboy stuck up for me from the couch.

Darry sighed loudly. "Still, Em, where've you been?"

"Out with the girls," I answered calmly.

Darry shook his head. "Do you always have to be hanging around with them? It seems like the Royals have brought you nothing but trouble."

"You're one to talk!" I exclaimed. "The Greasers are just as much trouble, and then some!"

Soda met my eyes, and I could see him trying to hold back a grin. Darry couldn't think of a comeback for that, so I tried to duck past him quickly so he wouldn't see my arm.

No such luck. As soon as I stepped around him he grabbed the back of my shirt.

"What's this?" he asked concernedly, taking my arm and examining the cut.

I pulled out of his grip. "It's nothing, I just caught it on a fence."

"Ponyboy, go get the first aid kit," Darry ordered. Pony jumped off the couch and led me to the bathroom.

I sat on the bathroom counter as Pony cleaned and bandaged my arm, and Darry stood in the doorway with a disapproving look.

"What?" I asked, looking him in the eye. "I'm only a half hour late."

Darry sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You've got school tomorrow, Emerald," he said finally. "I won't keep you up. Just get to bed as soon as you're done." He headed into his and Pony's room.

Ponyboy hadn't said anything while he was fixing me up.

"Are you mad at me, too?" I asked.

"Heck, you know I ain't," Pony said, giving me a smile. "But you know how much we all worry whenever you're late. You're giving Darry more gray hair than Soda and I put together."

"I'm sorry," I muttered, hopping off the bathroom counter once he had finished. "I'll try and keep track of time better.

"It's okay, Em," Pony said, ruffling my hair. Like Darry, I always kept my hair neat and washed- no grease for me. "Let's get to bed."

Our house is pretty small, and it's only got two bedrooms. Since Pony and I are the smallest, Pony shares a room with Darry and Soda and I get the smaller bedroom. Soda and Darry are too big to share a bed.

While I was changing, Soda came into the bedroom. Not that I cared, we were brother and sister after all. I've seen him in his boxers more times than I care to count, and he's doesn't care if he walks in on me naked.

Not that I was, I had just pulled on my pajama shorts and one of Pony's old T-shirts to sleep in.

"Did you have a good day, Emmy?" Soda asked as usual, as he pulled off his shirt and rolled into bed.

I laid down on my side and shoved him over a bit. "Yeah. Echo cussed out Skittery Andrews today, so I don't think we're gonna be buddies with the Stallions anytime soon. And Scarlett shot her mouth off to the leader of the Prisms, and now they want to have a rumble tomorrow."

The Prisms were the mostly-female South Side equivalents of the Soc's, but not nearly as tough. They weren't nearly as tough as the Royals either, but there were a lot more of them than us. I was sure we could beat them anyway, but if they bring knives again we might be in trouble.

Soda frowned as I reached up and turned off the light. "Ain't there boys in that gang?"

I shrugged into the darkness. "So?"

Soda rolled onto his side and propped himself up on one elbow. "So, I don't want no boys to be beating up on my kid sister."

I scoffed. "They're wimps. We'll be fine."

Soda still looked concerned. "What time's the fight?"

"6:30"

"Where?"

"Crystal Park."

"We'll all be there, for backup," Soda said, relaxing into his pillow.

"Good, I was gonna ask y'all to come anyway," I said, rolling over onto my side so I was facing him. "The Prisms don't always fight fair."

"They'd better," Soda said seriously, "or they're in for it."

"Don't worry, it won't be like last time," I assured him, putting a hand under my cheek, because I always slept like that. Soda yawned, and I shivered a little and pulled the sheets up to my chin. Even though it was only September, it was always cold in the house at night.

"You cold, Emmy?" Soda asked softly.

"A little," I mumble, my eyes closing.

Soda rolled over and scooted close to me, draping his strong arm over my waist. I snuggled into his chest, and he pulled the covers over us.

Under the door crack, I could see that the light was still on in Pony and Darry's room. I figured Darry was probably studying. Last fall, he started taking some classes at the community college, and he makes straight A's, just like he used to. At 23, he was usually the oldest in class, but he was just glad to be back in school.

Even at 19, Soda's still not interested in college, he always says he's happy working at the DX whenever I ask him. Darry's making Pony go to Oklahoma State next year, and he has the same plan for me. I haven't decided what I want yet, though. I guess I've got time.

I listened to Soda's steady breathing for a while, before I fell asleep too.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**A/N**

**Haha, get it? Emerald GrACE:P My sister didn't get it, so I just thought I'd clarify...**

**So, what do you think? I hope you like the idea so far:) Please review and give your opinion, it'll only take a second. You'll meet the gang and some more people in the next chapter.**

**I don't write in chronological order, but I've already written out a bunch of exciting parts for this story, so I hope you keep reading it for when I continue:) There'll be lots of the Curtises, and the Greasers will all be there too:)**

**BTW, this is obviously set after the Outsiders. All the events in the book took place, except Johnny was never hit with a buring wooden beam, so everyone's still there:)**

**Anyway, I hope you liked it, thanks for reading! Also, if you have any ideas you'd like to see in here, just leave it in a review or PM me. :)**

**Xoxoxo,**

**EmMarie**


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up the next morning when the door creaked open. I could tell it was Darry by the heavy footsteps, and he walked over to the window in the room.

Sodapop must've heard him and woken up too, because he suddenly said threateningly, "Don't you even think about opening those curtains, Darrel, or I'll beat the daylights out of you."

"I'm _trying _to let the daylight _in_," Darry said pointedly, but he stepped away from the window nonetheless. "Get up, you bum. I wanna get to work early today."

Darry walked out of the room, and I felt Sodapop stir. He groaned loudly, since he's just as much of a not-morning person as I am, and I greatly sympathized with him. He rolled away from me and propped himself up on his elbows, blearily blinking around the room. He breathed heavily and rubbed his face with his hand, then, with a deep breath, pushed himself off the bed.

I like it best when Soda and I wake up together on our own. Darry never does it right, he's a morning person and he doesn't understand. He'll come into the bedroom hollering at us to get up, and he'll usually throw the curtains wide open. The window faces east, so we get a blast of harsh sunlight to greet us. Pony's a little better, but not much. There's nothing I hate more than being woken with an overly cheery voice at 6:30.

But Soda always does it just right. Like now, he walked around over to my side of the bed, and he rubbed my back gently.

"Come on, Emmy-Grace," he said softly, his hands going back and forth. "Time to get up."

He knew that was the easiest way to get me up, but I groaned anyway, just to be a pain. Also, it'd make his massage last longer; Soda gives the best massages.

He rubbed my back for a minute longer, then brushed his thumb across my cheek. "I'll take a shower first, and when I get out you'd better be up," he said, traces of sleepiness still lingering in his voice.

I nodded, my eyes still half closed. I heard Soda walk around the room gathering some clothes, then he headed into the bathroom.

I sighed, just like Soda had, and rolled out of bed. On the chair beside my desk, Darry had laid out some clothes for me. I guess he had done my laundry while I was out yesterday, because he had laid out a fresh pair of jeans. He had also laid out a nice blue skirt that went past my knees, because he's always trying to get me to wear skirts.

Darry and I always argue about my wardrobe. I'm not allowed to have skirts that don't touch my fingers when my arms are at my sides, even though all the other girls wear 'em.

"I'm not gonna let my little sister go walking around town dressed like white trash," Darry said firmly, the time I had tried on a mini skirt at the store. Nothing too low-cut was allowed either.

I once had a push up bra that I bought for myself, but the first time Darry saw it in the wash, he tossed it in the garbage. "No sister of mine is gonna dress like a hooker!" he said, at the end of an awkward confrontation. Ponyboy had laughed at me, but Soda didn't see what the big deal was. Frankly, neither did I, but what Darry says goes.

I'm allowed to wear jewelry and a little makeup, but I don't usually have time or money to waste on makeup, so Darry hardly ever has anything to squawk at.

I predictably chose the jeans, and took the purple plaid, button down shirt and black tank top Darry had folded and left out. Once I heard Sodapop get out of the shower, I headed into the bathroom to take my own.

When I was done, I put some mousse in my hair, to keep it nice and bouncy, then slid a headband on to keep my hair in place. I pulled the tank top on, then tied up the button down shirt, just above my waist.

I walked into the living room to see a very hungover Two-Bit sitting blearily on the sofa.

I know better than to mess with people who have major hangovers, but Two-Bit's never snapped at me or got angry, even when he's drunk.

"Howya doin', kid?" he managed, massaging his temples.

"Not bad," I say, flopping down to sit beside him. I noticed the blanket and pillow on the couch. "You sleep here?"

Two-Bit shrugs. "I must've. Don't really remember..." he mutters, trailing off with a yawn.

Just then, Soda, Dally, and Steve run in from outside, Soda carrying the mail.

"You're awake," Steve laughs, leaning over and grabbing Two-Bit's shoulders from behind the couch and shaking him.

Two-Bit mumbles some curses, but no one pays any attention to him. The three guys all find seats in the living room, Dally sitting on the sofa arm, and Soda and Steve sitting on top of each other in Darry's recliner.

"Want some grease for your hair?" Dally asks cockily, leaning in towards me and twirling a strand of my hair around his finger. "You'd look real tuff."

I elbow him in the gut. "No way, Dallas. I'm a Royal, not a Greaser!" I insist, swatting his hand away and fixing my headband.

"Aw, you're such a girl," he teased, flopping onto the couch beside me.

"Damn straight, I am!" I shoot back, and the guys whoop and holler.

"Quiet down," Darry calls from the kitchen. "Breakfast is ready!"

Of course, at that, nobody quiets down, and running to the kitchen was every man for himself.

We all slide into a seat around the table, pushing and shoving, as Darry walks around us, scooping eggs onto each plate as he goes.

"Pull your shirt up," Darry scolds me, and he taps me with his wooden spoon.

My tank top had slipped down low, so I sigh and pull it up a bit. Darry glares at me, and after exchanging a glance with Soda, who was sitting on my right, Soda leans over and gently tugs it up further.

I shoot him an annoyed look, but don't pull my shirt back down like I usually do.

Two-Bit was sitting across from me, clutching his mug of coffee for dear life, staring into the steam.

"It helps if you drink it," I point out, pulling his coffee towards me and dumping a heaping spoonful of sugar in it. I mix it up and drop some cream into it, so it was just the way he likes it, then push the mug back towards him.

"Thanks, Ace," he mumbles, raising the mug to his lips and gulping it down.

A plate of pancakes is passed our way, so I scoop some onto my plate. Then, seeing that Two-Bit is preoccupied nursing his hangover, I shovel some onto his plate as well.

"Eat up," Darry says, finally sitting down at the head of the table.

"Thanks for breakfast, Dar," Soda smiles politely, and I wonder what he's up to. "You know, you really deserve a night off."

"For the last time, I said no, Sodapop Curtis," Darry sighs. "If you all want to go out and get drunk, then so be it, but I ain't coming with you."

"It's just one night!" Steve joins in on the begging. "It's next Friday, nearly two weeks away. You've got plenty of time to think about it. You won't have work the next day, and you haven't been to a party in so long!"

Darry sighs and shakes his head. "I'm telling you, I don't want to go. Besides, who's gonna look after Emerald if I go?"

"I can stay at Echo's house that night," I volunteer. "Mrs. Matthews won't mind, right Two-Bit?"

"Hmm?" Two-Bit asks, still a little fuzzy. "Oh yeah, sure. That'd be great."

Steve rolled his eyes, but nodded. "See, now that your kid sister's out of the way, there ain't nothin' holding you back!"

Darry almost smiles, but he looks down at the table instead. "I'll think about it."

From Darry, an "I'll think about it" is just as good as a "yes," so the guys all brightened considerably and continue wolfing down their breakfast.

I'm not that hungry, so I don't complain when Pony pokes his fork over to my plate and steals some eggs.

Darry glances at the clock on the wall. "You two better get going, don't wanna be late for school," he says to me and Pony.

Pony and I nod, then carry our dishes to the sink.

"It's your turn for dishes, Dally," I say, poking him in the shoulder as I pass him.

He curses under his breath. "Shut up, kid."

Pony and I grab our backpacks, and after saying goodbye to the gang, we head out the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I'm a junior, and Pony's a senior, so we don't have any classes together. I _do _have classes with Echo and Montgomery, though, and we started the day with History class.

Montgomery's smart as a whip, so she sits up front. I sit in the middle, and Echo is in the back corner, snoozing away. Since our history teacher, Mr. Jefferson, hints that what was being taught might be on the test tomorrow, I take some notes for Echo to glance over later. The second the bell rings, Echo bolts out of her seat and out the door.

"Wait just a minute, young lady," Mr. Jefferson tries to stop her, but she's already gone. He huffs and sits down at his desk. "Class, you are dismissed."

The "good" kids that waited for dismissal quietly leave the classroom. Montgomery and I catch up with Echo in the hallway.

"You can't smoke in here," I remind her for the hundredth time, as I snatch her cigarette out of her mouth and hand her the notes. "Read these."

Echo looks annoyed for a second, then gets over it.

After a few more classes, the three of us head to the cafeteria for lunch, and after we stood in line for our trays of pizza, we take our usual table in the corner.

Montgomery sits on my right, so we could talk about homework, and Echo sits across from us.

Montgomery has short, light brown hair in a pixie cut, which usually has different colored streaks in it. Today, the streaks were red. She's got four piercings in each ear, and she has a stud in every one of them. She's also got a nose piercing, and she always keeps a stud in it.

I caught myself staring at her earrings. "Do you think Darry'd ever let me get my ears pierced?" I ask her, my hand drifting up to feel my earlobe. "Not even two holes in each ear, just one?"

Montgomery snorts. "Yeah, and the next thing you know he'll be giving you your push-up bra back."

"I thought you'd say that," I grumble. Then I glance at Echo, wondering why she's so silent.

"Earth to Echo," Montgomery says, snapping her fingers by Echo's ear. "You just missed a chance to make fun of Ace."

"There'll be more opportunities, trust me," Echo smiles, turning her attention back to the table. I saw where she had been looking, and a sly grin forms on my face.

"Were you lookin' at Skittery?" I ask, and immediately her face goes pale.

"Ace, don't even think about it-" she warns, but I'm already up and out of my seat.

I walk straight up to Skittery Andrews and tap him on the shoulder.

"Would you like to sit with us?" I ask, flashing him a smile.

"Uh, sure," he responds, glancing at his group, who don't seem to care. He's sitting with the rest of the Stallions, and I recognize them all.

There's Denver Evans, who's in a couple of my classes since he's my age. He's the second in charge of the Stallions, and he and Skittery are best friends. He's got wavy black hair and sapphire blue eyes. He's the strongest one of the group, the one nobody wants to mess with.

Then there's Parker Whitson, who I don't know that well, but I know he's pretty smart. We've been lab partners a few times, and we always got A's. He's 16, a little on the short side, and he stutters, but he's a real nice person.

Finally, there's Riley Mason, and _gosh _is he good-looking. He's 17, like Skittery, and he's got dark brown hair that he styles in a quiff, and bright green eyes. He's real tall, and he's the star of the track team, but that's about all I know about him. He doesn't talk much.

I lead Skittery over to our table and smirk at Echo, who's blushing a bright red. I don't know why she's so embarrassed, I mean, she punched the guy yesterday and cussed him out for goodness sake!

Oh, right...

Skittery obviously recognizes her, because he slides in beside her and says, "Hey, Echo, right?"

She nods silently. I've never seen her this quiet, not even in church, which I made the mistake of taking her to once.

He grins and rubs his cheek, and I can see a faint bruise. "Did you ever get that cherry soda?" he asks, referring to what she told him yesterday.

Echo shakes her head.

Skittery chuckles and says, "That's probably because I never said a word to him."

Montgomery and I glance at each other and try not to bust out laughing while we watch Echo get more and more flustered. Echo's a terrible flirt, but luckily for her, Skittery seemed like he was good at it.

He finally got her to relax a bit, and after a few minutes we were all laughing and joking.

"So, what're you ladies up to this evening?" he asks cockily. "Because I've got something in mind."

He winks, and Echo rolls her eyes. "We've got a rumble to go to."

The smile slides off his face.

"Who with?" he asks, an edge creeping into his voice.

"The Prisms," Montgomery shrugs, like it's no big deal. Which, technically, it isn't.

Skittery frowns.

"What time?"

I was suddenly reminded of Sodapop, so I said, "Look, we don't need any help, we've already got backup."

Skittery sighs. "Okay, okay. I just don't trust the Prisms, they're too crafty for my liking."

"It's just skin," Echo reassures him. "No bottles, chains, or knives."

The bell rings.

"I hope not, ladies," Skittery says, as he gathers up our trays like a gentleman. "Anyway, nice talking with you. We'll have to get the gangs together some other time."

"Looking forward to it," I nod.

"Why don't we take a rain check for whatever you had in mind?" Echo says, mustering up the courage to flirt. "Say, this Friday?"

"Sounds good," Skittery nods, giving Echo a quick wink before hurrying off to throw the trash away and get to his next class.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX

"Ace!"

I hear someone call my name, and I whirl around to face Biff Tillman, the second in command of the Prisms, and Jerry Wiley, the third in command. The leader is Phoenix Kay, but he dropped out of school earlier this year, so he usually sends these two clowns to do his work for him.

"What do you want?" I ask suspiciously.

"I just wanna make sure we're still on for tonight," Biff grumbles, nodding his chin towards me. "Scarlett's the one who started it, but I have to make sure we're not gonna waste our time by showing up."

"Oh, we'll be there, you little punk!" Montgomery says, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

I cross my arms too. "There's your answer. Now get out of here, you know the rules. No action before the rumble."

Biff suddenly stares closely at me.

"What're you lookin' at?" I demand.

"You're the Curtis girl, ain't ya?" he asks. "Darry and Sodapop are your brothers?"

"Ponyboy too," I add.

Biff glances at Jerry.

"Look, they're pretty good guys, and we don't want no trouble with them," Jerry says, backing away.

"You mean the Prisms are backing out?" I ask incredulously.

I hear a violent string of curse words behind me. Probably Echo.

Biff and Jerry still look apprehensive.

"No, we ain't backing out," Biff says finally, looking me in the eye. "But why don't you sit out the fight, so it's fair to everyone?"

"No way!" I exclaim. "Just because you're afraid of my brothers, I can't fight?"

"Ain't nobody wanna be on Darry's bad side," Biff mumbles.

I lose it. I quickly grab Biff by his shirt collar and pin him against a locker.

"Now, look here-" I snap, getting in his face. Someone interrupts before I can continue.

"Is there a problem?"

I let go of Biff, and he glares at me and brushes himself off.

"No, we're okay, Skittery," I frown, glancing at him.

"You sure?" he asks, giving Biff a suspicious glance.

"We got this," Echo assures him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Jerry gives me an evil look. "You just broke the rules, Ace," he points out with a sneer. "Now the Prisms might follow your lead."

"_Don't you dare_," Skittery says, stepping forward and looking Jerry in the eyes. "I don't know what's happening here, but I know the rumble rules. You guys can't cheat; Ace didn't hurt him, unless he's even more of a wimp than he looks."

Biff took a quick, threatening step towards him, but suddenly Denver appears and shoves him back.

"Lay off, loser," he says darkly.

"Whatever," Biff fumes, glancing between us and the boys. "Tonight, we'll see just how tough you little girls are without your bodyguards."

"We don't need bodyguards!" I snap, as Echo gives Biff and Jerry the finger.

"We'll see you later," Jerry grumbles, and he pulls Biff away with him.

"Okay, ladies, what was that about?" Skittery questions, running his hands through his light brown hair.

I sigh. "Long story short, one of my gang had an argument with Phoenix yesterday, and they challenged us to a rumble."

"How many of you are there?" Denver asks. He knew the Prisms, the Stallions were sworn enemies against them, and I could tell he was sizing up our odds.

"Five," I tell him. I don't count Lindsay, because she's usually not much help.

Skittery frowns, but I quickly say, "Don't you worry about it, the Greasers are coming for backup."

Denver nods approvingly and says, "Twelve to twenty are better odds." Skittery still looks apprehensive.

"We'll be fine," I say, just to stop him from worrying. The Stallions and the Royals have never been enemies, but they've never seemed overly concerned about us until now. I was just thinking that maybe we should form an alliance for sometime in the future, but just then the bell rings.

"See ya," Skittery nods at us, taking Denver by the sleeve and pulling him to their next class.

Echo wiggles her fingers at them, and Skittery flashes her one last smile before disappearing down the hallway.

Montgomery, Echo, and I went to our final class of the day; English with Mr. Syme. He's my favorite teacher, because he's the only one who really cares about us kids, and he doesn't care what gang any of us belong to. He's always fair, and makes sure to hear both sides of any story.

"Now, I'm sure most of you won't like this," Mr. Syme begins the class, leaning forward onto his desk, "but today I'm giving you the biggest assignment of the semester."

Everyone groans except for me. I always like his English assignments, I guess I get that from Ponyboy. I know he wants to be an author, and he taught me how to appreciate words and stories. Sometimes we even write stories together.

"You'll have all semester to work on this theme," Mr. Syme says, writing something on the chalkboard. When he steps back, we see the words, "Autobiography/Novel."

"I'm going to give you all a lot of creative license with this," Mr. Syme says, as the class starts taking notes. "You can use the story of your life, or you can choose your own topic. The only requirement is it has to be long enough to be considered a novel. Oh, let's say, 50 pages."

I swear I hear a few sobs from the back of the classroom, but I smile. I don't care if I sound like a nerd, but this sounds fun. And, hey, I've got all semester to do it.

After studying verbals and appositives, the final bell rang. As usual, Echo was the first one out. I rose to follow her, but Mr. Syme stops me before I can.

"Miss Curtis? One moment please."

I don't roll my eyes or anything. Mr. Syme is one of the only adults I have any respect for.

"Yes, sir?" I ask, stepping up to his desk.

"I saw that smile when I announced the assignment," he says, his eyes sparkling. "I just want to tell you, I'm expecting a lot from you for it. You're one of the best students I've ever had in this class, just as good as Ponyboy and Darrel were." He chuckles. "I can't say the same thing about Sodapop, but he was a joy to have in class nonetheless."

I smile and nod. "I understand. I'll do my best, sir."

"I know you will," Mr. Syme says, turning back to grade some papers. "Now, run along and catch up with your friends. And could you remind Miss Matthews to turn in her book report?"

"I'll try," I promise, and I duck out of the classroom.

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**A/N**

**Thanks so much for all the support!:) I really appreciate all the reviews/follows/favorites!**

**So, please review again and tell me what you think of the new characters:) (There's going to be lots of character development later on/soon, I swear no Mary-Sues or Gary-Stus!) I hope you eventually fall in love with the Stallions as much as I have! If you have ideas for the story, or anything you would like to see, feel free to PM me!:) I may not use the ideas, but it's always nice to see what people think:)**

**The rumble will be in the next chapter, so stick around for that;)**

**Again, thanks for reading!:) Please review, it'll only take a second:)**

**Xoxoxo,**

**EmMarie**


	3. Chapter 3

As Montgomery, Echo, and I head out of the school building, Ponyboy catches up with us. Together, we walk to the vacant lot to meet up with the rest of the Royals.

Mickey, Lindsay, and Scarlett are there waiting, leaning against a fence.

Mickey is looking pretty as usual today, and has her long blonde hair up in a ponytail. She's wearing a little makeup, and I try not to roll my eyes. Why would you need to put on makeup before a rumble? At least she's wearing sensible clothes for once; shorts and a Guns 'N Roses T-Shirt.

Scar has on a pair of ripped blue jeans, with a black hoodie. Her curly, jet black hair is down, as usual, and her green eyes are shining the hard way they do right before a fight.

Lindsay has her hair in a braid that she must've done herself, because it's slightly crooked. She's wearing Johnny's old jean jacket, a plain white shirt, and shorts.

"What's the news on the rumble?" Scar asks as soon as we're within earshot.

"Biff and Jerry caught up with us at school," I tell her, leaning against the fence next to her. "They said we're still on, but get this: Biff told me I shouldn't be allowed to fight because of my brothers!"

Scar snorts. "That's the biggest bunch of crap I've ever heard. Do they really think you're gonna send Darry after them if they beat us?"

"I guess so," I shrug. "But I kind of pushed him after that, and he said I broke the rumble rules."

"Did he get hurt?" Lindsay asks.

"Nope."

"Any blood?"

"None.

"Then no rules were broken," Lindsay says matter-of-factly. "We should be okay."

One of the rumble rules is there's no fighting between any members of the gangs once a rumble date has been announced. If anyone starts anything, then that gives the opposite gang permission to cheat during the rumble.

"I don't know about that," I say, sighing. "Biff as good as told me they were going to do something sneaky."

"Don't worry about it," Ponyboy says to the gang. "The Greasers will back you up."

Mickey, Montgomery, and Scarlett all but swoon, and I can't help rolling my eyes.

Sure, Ponyboy's good-looking, and so is Sodapop for that matter, but none of the girls have a chance with them.

It's not because _I'd_ have a problem with it. I'd let any of the Royals go out with any of my brothers if they had the mind to, but all the Greasers swore to each other that their kid sisters were off-limits. So, we're off-limits to them, but they're fair game to us. That sometimes can get difficult, especially when there are obvious crushes. Like with Montgomery and Johnny, for example. Or Two-Bit and... Never mind.

"Soda told them about it, right Pony?" I ask, just to be sure.

"I don't think Dally or Johnny know yet, but they'll probably pick them up," Pony assures me. "Darry's going to drive by the DX and pick up Steve and Soda and bring them here at around 6:15."

"Perfect," I nod, feeling more and more confident.

By the time 6:00 rolls around, the six of us are all hyped up. Two-Bit arrives at exactly 6:15, looking real tuff and ready. We all keep glancing down to road for the rest of our backup, but no one appears.

By 6:25, I start getting worried. Where are the Greasers? They've never been late to a rumble before, and I start to get a bad feeling about this.

We get to Crystal Park about two minutes before 6:30, and my heart starts pounding when I see the group of twenty waiting for us.

Most of them aren't even Prisms. There's around fifteen girls in that gang, but we only count three. As we get closer, Two-Bit and Ponyboy started cursing under their breath, and Echo joins in moments later. I start recognizing some Soc's in the crowd, and that really confuses me.

The leader of the Prisms is standing a few feet in front of the group.

Phoenix Kay.

He's smoking in the laziest way possible. His cigarette is in one corner of his mouth and he's blowing the smoke out of the other side.

He's disgusting.

"What the hell is this?" I demand, looking at the strange group. There are ten Prism boys and seven Soc's, and the Prism girls standing in the back have glass bottles.

Phoenix smirks and glances at Biff. "My buddy here told me how you broke the rules this afternoon. That means this rumble is on our terms."

"Why, you little-" Scar practically yells, rushing at him. Montgomery and Lindsay hold her back.

"He's lying," I insist to Phoenix, who just shakes his head.

"Look now," Two-Bit says, casually pulling out his switchblade and tossing it back and forth. "Biff looks fine to me. Why don't y'all just play nice?"

Phoenix slowly pulls the cigarette from his mouth and spits at us.

Scarlett wrenches herself out of Montgomery and Lindsay's grasp and rushes forward.

She's quick enough, and lands a solid punch on Phoenix's stupid face.

Phoenix retaliates by punching me.

It's on.

It quickly becomes obvious that we're going to lose. I'm proud of my gang for all being tough fighters, but this time we're way outnumbered, nearly three to one.

At first we had the advantage, because we're all faster than they are, but then they get smart and attack us in groups.

I see some jerk twist Lindsay's arm behind her back, and she cries out. Scar gets backhanded and she goes down. Some guy pulls Mickey's ponytail and she screams. Ponyboy and Two-Bit are fighting back-to-back against all seven Soc's, and I can see brass knuckles glinting on the Soc's hands.

I find myself in the back, up against Jerry Wiley and Valeri Kay, Phoenix's sister. I try and stay away from the bottle she has, because the minute she hits me with it I'll be down for the count.

I duck under one of Jerry's punches and manage to kick him behind the knees. He goes down, and I use the opportunity to kick him in the ribs.

Some Prism pushes me from behind, and this time _I _go down. I land badly, and the wind is knocked out of me for a second, so I curl myself into a tight ball to minimize the damage. Someone, probably Valeri, kicks me in the head, and I mentally curse the Greasers. Where are they?

I feel a shoe connect with my temple, and I almost black out. I'm sure my head is bleeding, and I'm just about to get up when suddenly, I hear some angry shouts, followed by a few surprised yells. Footsteps run towards me, and all of a sudden the kicking stops.

Someone hauls me to my feet. I'm shocked to see Skittery.

"What's this?" he asks, gesturing to the chaos around us. "I thought you were fighting the Prisms!"

"I did too," I say, then shove him aside as someone throws a punch at the back of his head.

"Thanks," he says, after he whirls around and socks the guy in the stomach.

"Well, hello, baby!" Valerie appears and addresses Skittery, and he goes white.

I'm confused, but don't have time to dwell on it. Valerie breaks her bottle on Skittery's arm, and he stumbles back, cursing. She kicks him in the shin, but he doesn't push her away for some reason.

I do.

I grab her arms from behind and spin her away from Skittery. She lands in the dirt and hits her head on the ground, but she gets up and stumbles away quickly.

I look around to see how the rest of the rumble is going, and see Denver, Parker, and Riley have also come to the rescue.

Denver helps Pony and Two-Bit with the Soc's, and pretty soon they're taken care of. Parker is rounding up the Prism girls and taking their bottles from them, making them retreat. Riley is helping the Royals, and we definitely have the upper hand now. Skittery and I join the Royals, and start kicking some ass.

Within a few minutes, which is longer than it sounds, the Prisms and Soc's are all running away.

I survey the damage to my gangs. Scarlett has several bruises already forming on her face and her knuckles are bleeding, but she has a crazy, thrilled expression as she watches the enemy run.

Mickey looks fine for the most part, except she's skinned her elbows and is covered in dirt. Montgomery looks uninjured. Echo has a cut above her eye and a busted lip, and she's cursing like a sailor.

Parker has a bunch of cuts up his arms from wrestling the broken bottles away from the girls, but none of them look too deep. The gash on Skittery's arm is pretty bad though, so he took his shirt and wrapped it around the wound to stop the bleeding. Riley looks completely fine, but he's kneeling on the ground speaking softly to Lindsay, who's lying in the dirt and moaning.

The three boys who had taken on the seven Soc's, Two-Bit, Pony, and Denver, had gotten the worst of it, though. Denver's covered in blood and gasping on the ground with a black eye, a split lip, and a bloody nose. Two-Bit is clutching his side and breathing heavily, with blood all over his shirt. Pony's on his hands and knees, spitting blood out of his mouth.

"You said you'd be fine?" Skittery asks, cocking his eyebrow at me after taking in the scene. "What happened?"

"I don't know," I shake my head. "Our backup never came. What are you guys doing here? I never told you where the rumble was gonna be."

Skittery shrugs, his shirt still wrapped around and pressed against his bleeding arm. "I dunno. I just had a bad feeling about the whole thing. The Prisms are the worst about cheating, I knew they'd pull something like this."

"But how'd you find us?" I persist.

Skittery sighs. "I figured it'd be at either Hyde Park or Crystal Park, so we tried both. I'm only sorry we checked Hyde first."

"Well, thanks a lot," I say sincerely, holding out a hand for him to shake. "You can count on the Royals for anything now."

Skittery returns the firm handshake. "And the Stallions have got your backs anytime. Now, lets round up the troops, shall we?"

I nod. "We'll take everyone to my house."

All the Royals, except for Lindsay, can walk. Some Prism hit her in the head and she's delirious, so Riley scoops her up in his arms. Two-Bit and Denver need help walking, so Two-Bit leans on Skittery and Denver leans on Pony, and the whole ragged gang limps to my house.

My head is spinning from all those kicks to the head, but I don't say anything. It'd be stupid to complain about it when some of these guys probably broke a few ribs.

We reach my front porch, but no one's home. That's pretty strange, because today's Monday and Darry and Soda should be off work by now.

I don't dwell on it. I just run up the porch steps and hold the door open for everyone.

The gangs find seats. Echo pulls the dining room chairs into the living room so we can all sit together. Riley lays Lindsay down on one end of the couch, and Skittery drops Two-Bit on the other end. Pony lets Denver sit in Darry's armchair, and everyone else takes a seat on the floor.

I tell Montgomery to make a pot of tea, and Mickey goes for our first aid kit. The boys insist we take care of Lindsay first, so we bandage her head and give her a few aspirin. I wrap up Parker's arms, toss Mickey a couple of band-aids, bandage Scarlett's hand, and give Echo some ice for her lip.

I unwrap Skittery's shirt from around his arm to check out his cut, and it's pretty deep. I clean it out as best I can, and he tries not to wince.

"You probably should get some stitches," I point out to him.

He grimaces and shakes his head. "Just wrap it up."

I tsk at him, but do as he says, trying to be as gentle as possible.

"Spots," I say to Montgomery, who is passing out cups of tea. "Can you go find some clean shirts for these guys?"

"On it," she says, handing the last cup to Riley.

Once Skittery is patched up fairly well, I turn my attention to Two-Bit, Pony, and Denver.

Ponyboy went and rinsed the blood out of his mouth, and I clean his numerous small cuts and scrapes. I also have to wrap his knuckles, and give him a bunch of aspirin.

Denver's nose has stopped bleeding, but he and Two-Bit both have broken ribs. I carefully get their shirts off and tape them up, both of them cursing loudly the whole time. I clean the blood off both their faces, and give them each a handful of aspirin.

They protest when I try to stick band-aids on their faces, but I slap their hands away and stick them on real quick. I threaten to get out the pink band-aids if they peel theirs off, and they stop touching them right away.

"Your turn," Echo says, holding a damp cloth. I hadn't realized my head was still bleeding, so I let her patch me up.

I toss the boy's shirts in the washing machine and give Two-Bit and Denver one of Sodapop's T-shirts. Ponyboy wears his own. Once everyone has been taken care of and were either cursing under their breath or sipping tea, the after-rumble talk starts.

"Did you see when I elbowed that guy in the face?" Scar brags, recreating the scene with Montgomery. "He was like, two feet taller than me, and then I tackled him to the ground!"

"Then he rolled on top of you and punched you in the face," Echo reminds her, snickering. "Don't leave out the best part!"

Scar gives her the finger and keeps rambling.

It's about 7:30 when Sodapop and Darry finally get home.

I don't know who was more surprised: them to see all the Royals and four strange boys with bandages all over them sitting in their living room, or me to see them equally bandaged up.

"What happened to you?" I demand, jumping up to give them both hugs and to see if they're okay.

"We had a little accident," Darry explains calmly. "We were on our way to pick up Steve, Johhny, and Dally on the way to meet you girls at Crystal Park, but some idiot hit our car. We tried to call you from the hospital, but you never answered."

"Oh my God, you were at the hospital? Are you alright?" I ask, starting to fuss over them. I kick Two-Bit off the couch and make my brothers sit down.

"We're fine," Soda assures me. "Trust me, it's not as bad as it looks. It's definitely not as bad as _you_ all look."

"Who are you?" Darry asks, addressing the Stallions.

"I'm Skittery Andrews," Skittery says, stepping forward to shake Darry and Sodapop's hands. I can tell Darry approves of him already, he always likes guys who have a firm handshake. "These are the Stallions. That's Denver Evans, Parker Whitson, and Riley Mason," he says, pointing to each in turn.

"What're you doing here?" Sodapop asks, not meanly but more curious sounding.

"The Stallions saved our asses," I cut in, earning a glare from Darry for cussing. "The Prisms cheated, they hardly brought any of their girls and substituted a bunch of Soc's."

"And there were bottles," Ponyboy adds, gesturing to Skittery's and Parker's injuries.

Soda curses loudly. "Goddamn, I'm sorry. We shoulda been there!"

"It's not your fault," I say quickly.

"We won anyway!" Scar speaks up, making Darry smile a little bit.

"Good job, girls," he nods approvingly. "Didn't expect anything less."

There's a short silence, until Skittery says, "Well, boys. We should probably head out."

"Where?" Soda asks.

"I mean, it's probably time for us to get home," Skittery clarifies.

"If it's alright with your families, why don't you all stay for dinner?" Darry suggests, getting up and heading into the kitchen. "It should only take a minute."

"We don't want to be a bother-" Skittery protests, but Darry cuts him off.

"Nonsense. You bailed out the Royals when the Greasers should have, the least we can do is feed you."

Skittery smiles, and looks around at the boys. "Well, thanks. I guess we'll be staying! Do you have a phone we can use?"

Pony points to the table behind him.

"Thanks," Skittery says again. "Parker, why don't you call you folks first? They're probably already worried about you."

"K-Kay," Parker stutters, then heads over to the phone.

"You can go next," Skittery says to Riley. "Your Aunt and Uncle are probably worried too. I'll go last, my mom trusts me."

"What about _your _parents?" Mickey asks Denver tactlessly. He doesn't answer, he just huffs and looks away. I have a feeling they're not going to get along.

I see Skittery shake his head almost imperceptibly at Mickey, and she shuts up.

"Oh," she says softly, and Montgomery and I roll our eyes at her. Then, she continues before we can stop her. "Is your dad like Lindsay and Johnny's? Does he beat you too?"

Denver's eyes harden into steel, but he doesn't look up. Skittery's mouth drops open and he stares at Mickey. Tears well up in Lindsay's eyes, and Scarlett puts an arm around her.

Two-Bit responds first, smacking Mickey upside the head.

"What the hell's the matter with you?" he demands. "Why would you say something like that?"

Mickey is still oblivious. "What? It's just a question."

"Just drop it," Skittery stops her softly when she makes to continue, glancing at Denver. "It doesn't matter."

"Jesus, Mickey," I mutter to her under my breath.

There's an awkward silence until it's Riley's turn to call his house. Thankfully, Darry senses something's wrong and calls Mickey into the kitchen to help. As soon as she leaves the room, the conversation picks up again, and Denver finally unclenches his fists. By the time the boys have all called home, Darry's got spaghetti and meatballs ready.

Soda and Pony bring in some folding chairs from the garage, and all twelve of us crowd around the dining room table.

"So, you're the Stallions?" Ponyboy asks, and Skittery clears his throat before answering.

"Yeah. We're a pretty small group, but we manage okay," he says, gesturing to his friends. "Denver and I started it, then Parker and Riley came along."

"You guys look real familiar," Soda says, putting his hand on his chin and staring around at the group.

"I've seen you at the rodeo a couple times," Denver speaks up.

"That's it!" Soda grins and snaps his fingers. "Don't you ride bulls?"

Denver smiles as well. "Yeah, and Skittery and I do team roping. That's how we met."

"You and I used to ride saddle bronc in the same contests a few years back," Skittery adds to my brother. "I remember you were always better than me. I haven't seen you riding in a while, though."

"My dad made me quit after I tore a ligament," Soda explains. "But _glory, _was it fun while it lasted. Maybe someday Darry'll let me get back out there," he says, giving his older brother a hopeful, reckless look. Darry just shakes his head and turns to Skittery.

"You won that saddle bronc competition last weekend, didn't you?" he remarks. "I saw it, you're pretty good."

Skittery shrugs. "You win some, you lose some. But lately I've had good luck. I can't ride as much as I used to, since I got a job, but I try and get out there every couple of weeks."

"You're still pretty good," Darry nods.

"You should see Riley with his racehorse," Skittery grins. "He hasn't lost a race all season."

"He needs to race Dally, then," Ponyboy says. "He's the best jockey I've ever seen."

"I'll give you pretty good odds," Skittery says. "Five to one Riley's faster."

"You're on," Ponyboy grins.

Darry gives a quick disapproving look to Pony for betting, but Pony ignores it.

"You guys dig okay," Soda says to the Stallions, and I smile because I'm relieved he approves of them. Not that I don't care what Darry or Ponyboy say, but if Sodapop hadn't gotten along with them, then they were out.

My brothers and the Royals get to know the boys some more, and before long Two-Bit starts making jokes and everyone's laughing easy.

Lindsay keeps sneaking glances at Riley, who's sitting on her right. Echo and Skittery are making eyes at each other from across the table, while Two-Bit and I try not to snicker. Denver and Mickey start fighting over the pepper, until Montgomery grabs the shaker from them and slides it across the table to Darry, who confiscates it.

Yeah, this is home.

I'm pretty bummed when the night is over, and the Stallions have to leave.

"Thanks again for having us, Darry," Skittery says politely, while the rest of the boys nod in agreement.

"Anytime," Darry says, waving his hand. "Thanks for helping the girls out."

"Anytime," Skittery grins, then he turns to address me and the Royals. "So, ladies, are we still on for Friday night?"

"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Echo confirms.

"We'll pick you all up here about 7?" Riley asks.

"Sounds good," Lindsay smiles shyly.

"See you then, kiddo" Riley winks at her, and I can see Lindsay's eyes shining with puppy-love.

"Where are we going?" Scarlett asks.

"I thought we'd go to the drive-in," Skittery says. "There's a new flick out, I thought you might enjoy it."

"I can't wait!" Lindsay exclaims, a big smile forming on her face.

Skittery smiles back. "I'm glad. Well, ladies, we'll see most of you tomorrow at school."

"See you!" we wave goodbye to them until they disappear down the road.

"We better be getting home, too," Montgomery says, checking the time.

"Alright, see you tomorrow!" I say, giving hugs as the Royals and Two-Bit leave for home.

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**A/N**

**Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it:)**

**Okay, so I have at least 20 chapters of this story partially written out, so I hope you'll keep reading for those. They're very exciting, I promise :D. Some good drama, and I kept surprising myself when I added the crazy parts. Gloryoski.**

**Thanks for all the follows and favs, I really appreciate it! Sorry for the long wait for the update, next one should be sooner!**

**Please review:) Also, in your review, could you tell me which one of the Stallions and Royals is your favorite, and which ones you don't like so I can improve them? Thanks:)**

**Xoxoxo,**

**EmMarie**


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, I'm not surprised to find that Denver had stayed home from school, since he has a couple of broken ribs. However, I am a little surprised to hear that Parker is absent, because his cuts hadn't been that bad.

The Royals and I, except for Lindsay, sit with the two remaining Stallions at lunch. Mickey and Scarlett weren't at lunch with us yesterday because they'd both gotten detention; Scarlett for mouthing off to a teacher and Mickey for being late.

"I get that Denver stayed home today, but where's Parker?" I ask Skittery once we've all sat down. "I didn't think he got cut up that bad."

"His parents are kind of fussy," Skittery explains. "They live up at Riverside Heights, and he doesn't really-"

"What?" Echo demands, cutting him off. "Parker lives at Riverside Heights?" What, is he rich or something?"

"Technically, it's his parents who are rich," Riley answers. "But yeah, he's rich. His family owns a few stables and estates and stuff. We ride their horses for the rodeos."

"If he's rich, why does he hang around with you guys?" Mickey asks.

"No offense," Montgomery adds for her.

Skittery sighs and gets a frustrated look on his face. "I'm sure you've noticed that he has, well, a speech problem-"

"He stutters," Mickey nods, and we all shush her.

"Well, yeah," Skittery says. "Anyway, he's got the brains and the money to be a Soc, right? So when he moved here, he tried to fit in with them, but the Soc's laughed him off and bullied him pretty badly because of the way he talks. Then after that he tried the Prisms, because they're only one step lower, but they wouldn't let him in either."

"That's awful," Montgomery frowns. "There's nothing wrong with him!"

"Except he stutters," Mickey says again, and this time Echo smacks her upside the head.

"That shouldn't matter," I say. "It doesn't matter to us, he's a great guy."

Skittery smiles. "We all know it."

"That's not the worst part of the story," Riley picks up. "His parents are rich and stuffy, so they don't get the whole gang thing, right? So they're always having Soc's over at the house for dinners and stuff, and since theirs and Parker's dads usually work together, Parker has to be nice to them."

"That's kind of good for us, because that way we can keep track of what they're up to, but it blows for Parker," Skittery adds. "At least his parents seem to understand that he _wants_ to be friends with us, that's why they let us use their horses and equipment and stuff. They're glad Parker's made some _real _friends."

"I wouldn't be able to have dinner with a bunch of Soc's no matter _how_ rich their daddies were," Scarlett breathes. "I'd have to punch 'em before dessert."

Riley grins at her. "Good thing Parker has a helluva lot more patience than you."

"Hitler had a helluva lot more patience than you," Echo jokes.

"Excuse me for a second," Skittery says suddenly, getting up from the table.

He walks over to a table in the corner that's empty except for an unfamiliar guy. They talk for a few moments, then the guy picks up his tray and follows Skittery back to our table.

"Ladies, boys," Skittery says nodding at us and putting a hand on the new kid's shoulders. "This is Jett Tomlinson."

"Hey," Jett smiles, waving slightly awkwardly.

"He just moved to Tulsa from Los Angeles," Skittery goes on, moving his tray aside so Jett can sit down.

"I'm sorry," Echo jokes.

"She means 'welcome,'" I cut in, smiling at him. "I'm Ace Curtis. That's Ashley Matthews, but don't call her that if you know what's good for you."

Echo nods approvingly, and Jett gives us a confused look.

"What should I call you, then?"

"Just Echo," she says, shaking his hand deeply.

"That's Montgomery, Scarlett, and Mickey" I introduce, pointing at each girl. "We're missing one member, but we're the Royal Flushes, or just the Royals."

"A gang?" Jett smiles, like he finds it amusing.

"Yeah, is something funny?" Scarlett demands, eyeing him.

The smile slides off Jett's face.

"Chill out, kid," Montgomery tells Scar, who huffs and crosses her arms. Montgomery turns back to Jett. "Yeah, we're a gang. Ace is in charge."

"I asked Jett if he wanted to come with us this Friday," Skittery informs us.

"Cool, that should be fun," I smile, looking him over. The first thing that jumps out at me is he's got real pretty eyes; lots of colors, and I can't decide if they're gold, green, or blue. He's average height, and fairly good looking, with wavy straw-colored hair and a crooked smile.

We talk for a while, and we find out he's 16, like me. He moved here about two weeks ago, and came to school for the first time today.

From what I can tell, Skittery likes him, and he's probably going to ask him into the gang. The notion becomes even stronger when Jett says he likes rodeos.

The only this that seems odd is that Scarlett doesn't seem to like him, but I quickly write it off. It takes a while for anyone to gain her trust. I'm sure she'll start to like him eventually.

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When I get home, I'm surprised to see Soda's truck parked out front. He's not usually home before I am, so I call his name when I step through the door.

"Sodapop?"

There's no reply, so I drop my backpack by the coat rack and step into the living room. I gasp loudly when I see a familiar blonde boy covered in blood sprawled out on our couch.

"Parker, what happened?" I ask, running to his side.

He's having a hard time breathing, and I'm guessing he's got a few broken ribs.

He coughs weakly before answering. "M-my mom m-made me st-stay home from s-school today, and w-when I was w-walking around t-town s-some P-Prisms cornered me."

"What?" I ask angrily. "Why?"

He coughs again. "B-because of w-what the S-Stallions did y-yesterday."

I purse my lips tightly._ How dare they! _

"When?" I ask, looking him over. He's got cuts all over him, aside from the ones he got yesterday, and he's black and blue.

"About an h-hour ago."

"Was it Biff?"

"And J-Jerry. I d-don't know the o-others' names."

Steve and Soda come in from the kitchen with an ice pack and a first aid kit.

"Hey kid. Parker, right?" Steve says, and Parker nods.

"We're gonna patch you up a bit," Steve continues. "Is there someone you want us to call?"

"M-my mom," Parker stutters, and Soda goes over to the phone. Parker gives him the number, and Mrs. Whitson picks up after only two rings. Soda speaks with her for a moment, then hands the phone to Parker.

While Parker explains what happened to his mom, I get Soda to fill me in.

"How'd you find him?" I ask, dabbing some blood off of Parker's cheek.

Soda looks angry as he replies, "The Prisms that beat him up stopped at the DX right after. They were bragging to each other about how they beat up a kid who stutters, and belonged to a cheating gang. Then one of them said, 'I hope no one finds him until it gets dark.'"

"So Soda shoved him up against his own car and twisted his arm behind his back until they told us where they left him," Steve picked up, nodding at Parker. "They dragged the poor kid into an alley, and he was still there when we found him. Soda brought him here, and I tagged along to help."

"This is low, even for them," I fume.

"Okay, b-bye mom, I love you t-too," Parker says, as he hangs up.

"My m-mom's gonna be here in t-twenty minutes," he says, as I help him sit up. "T-thanks again, g-guys, for h-helping me."

"Not a problem," Soda smiles, wrapping Parker's arm up.

While we wait for Parker's mom, we get to know him a little. Steve's being kinder than usual, and asking polite questions, but only Soda and I notice.

"So you hang out at the rodeos too?" Steve asks.

"Y-yeah," Parker nods. "M-my parents have a s-stable, and we've g-got a few h-horses. The S-stallions use them f-for the c-competitions."

"We've gotta get down there sometime," Soda grins. "Ponyboy and Skittery still have that bet going, don't they?"

"I th-think so. Y-you guys have the j-jockey friend, r-right?" Parker asks. "There's a st-statewide competition c-coming up in a f-few weeks. If he and R-Riley both qualify, th-they can r-race then."

"I know Dally'll be there," Steve says. "Give us the dates, we can all go down to the rodeo for it."

When Parker's mom drives up the driveway, she's practically in hysterics, and demands to see her baby. Parker's in too much pain to be too embarrassed, and Soda helps him limp out to their car without much fuss.

After thanking us profusely, Mrs. Whitson speeds off in her car, probably straight to the hospital.

"I gotta go tell Skittery," I say, finally coming out of my daze when their car whips around the corner of our street.

"Alright, don't stay out too late," Soda tells me. "Just be home before dinner."

"I will," I promise, waving to him and Steve as I hop down the porch steps.

I walk into town quickly, heading for Scoops, the ice cream parlor Skittery works at part time.

A bell chimes above my head when I walk through the door. Since it's just after school, the place is packed. I see Skittery working the counter, polishing ice cream glasses, and I make a beeline for him.

"Hey, Ace!" he greets me with a smile. "What can I get ya? Anything, on the house."

"Not today," I tell him solemnly, leaning on the counter. "Parker's mom just took him to the hospital."

He nearly drops the glass.

_"What?" _he asks tersely, setting the glass aside and gripping the edge of the counter. "How? When?"

"Just now," I explain quickly. "Since his parents made him stay home from school because of the cuts he got yesterday, about an hour ago, a bunch of Prisms cornered him while he was out. Long story short, Sodapop and his friend Steve found him, and brought him to my house."

Even more worry crosses Skittery's face. "Is he alright?"

"He wasn't good," I say honestly. "I'm sure he'll be fine, but the Prisms worked him over pretty good. He had at least a couple broken ribs, and he was hurting something awful."

"This is why I hate the Prisms," Skittery fumes, as he starts to hunt for something under the counter. He comes up with a small, white card. "They're always pulling stuff like this for no reason."

"Parker said they _had_ a reason. They did it because you guys helped the Royals yesterday," I say, almost apologetically. "It was all revenge."

Skittery's eyes are blazing, and he looks like he wants to punch something. He whips off his apron and throws his dish towel onto the counter.

"Tell the boss I'm clocking out," he calls to the guy scooping ice cream for a long line of customers, as he scribbles something down on the time card.

"Aw, kid, you can't be serious!" the guy protests, squirting whipped cream onto a sundae. "It's rush hour, we need you!"

"It's an emergency," Skittery insists, vaulting over the counter. "I'll work overtime tomorrow. I gotta go!"

Skittery rushes out the door, and I follow close behind. He heads for his pickup truck, then suddenly stops and turns to me.

"Ace, could you do me a favor?"

"Anything," I say quickly.

"Could you tell the guys what happened? They should be coming in any minute, and they'll wonder where I'm at," he explains. "They always hang out at Scoops while I'm working. And could you try to break it to them gently? I don't want them to blow up and start another fight- that's the last thing we need right now."

"No problem," I say, and he smiles at me.

"You're the best. I'll catch you later."

He hops in his truck and speeds off, and I'm left standing alone and feeling bad. I stay there for a moment longer, then head back inside the ice cream parlor to wait.

I slide into a booth near the back, and before long Denver, Jett, and Riley walk in, laughing loudly.

They spot me immediately and saunter over.

"Hey, Ace," Riley says, with an easy smile. "How're you?"

"I'm fine," I say distractedly. "If you're looking for Skittery, he's not here."

"What?" Denver asks, sliding into the booth beside me.

I take a deep breath before answering carefully, "Parker ran into some trouble today, and Skittery went to go visit him at the hospital."

"Jesus Christ," Riley swears, as he and Jett slide into the seat opposite me. "Is he alright? What happened?"

"I don't know exactly what went down, but he got beat up pretty badly," I tell him. "The Prisms left him in some alleyway, and Soda and his friend Steve found him and brought him to my house. He's going to be alright, but his mom insisted on taking him to the hospital."

"C'mon, Riley," Denver says angrily, getting to his feet.

"Woah, wait, where are you going?" I ask hurriedly.

"We're gonna find those Prisms and beat the shit out of them!" Denver exclaims, getting a few odd looks from the other customers.

"No, Skittery said not to retaliate," I warn them. "The Prisms did it because of what happened yesterday."

Denver curses loudly, but sits back down.

"Um, I'm lost," Jett says, leaning on the table. "What happened yesterday?"

"The Royals were in a bit of a tight spot," I explain. "We had a rumble with the Prisms, but they thought _we_ cheated, so _they _cheated and we were getting crushed. The Stallions came to our rescue, but the Prisms said _they _cheated by helping us out."

"Which we didn't," Riley insists. "They had Soc's on their side, the Royals had no one but a couple of their brothers."

"So, after all that cheating, they beat up Parker for revenge?" Jett tries to clarify.

"And we're gonna beat the crap out of them for it!" Denver finishes.

"No," I say firmly, grabbing his shirt sleeve as he tries to stand up again. "That's not what Skittery wants! More bad blood isn't going to solve anything."

"We can't let them get away with this!" Denver protests. "They hurt Parker!"

"Gosh, you all take this gang stuff pretty seriously, don't you?" Jett asks, and Denver glares darkly at him.

"It ain't for fun, if that's what you mean," he says, looking angry. "We do it because we have to. No one else is gonna look out for you but your gang. We're family, so when you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!"

"I didn't mean-" Jett stammers, but Denver cuts him off.

"No, you just don't understand," he snaps. "You're an outsider. You're never going to understand. We're not doing this for show, this is real life. It's not a game to us. You can play pretend all you want to, and join the gang if you think you'll have a good time, but you'll always be an outsider!"

"Denver, stop, that's not fair," I scold him, though in my heart I agree. Jett's too much of a city boy, too far middle class, to ever understand what we go through. All these fights; it's not just for honor and reputation, there's so much more at stake. The Stallions may be middle class, too, but they understand how things work.

Denver crosses his arms and glares silently at Jett, who at least has the decency to look ashamed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that," Jett says, staring at the ground.

"It's alright," Riley sighs, running a hand over his face. "But what are we gonna do now?"

"Skittery will probably track you guys down after he sees Parker," I reason. "There's not much else we can do but wait."

"Was it Phoenix?" Denver suddenly asks.

"No," I say hesitantly.

"Do you know who it was?" he persists.

"Denver, I'm not sure if I should tell you," I say. "I know you're gonna want to track them down, and that's the last thing you should do."

"Aces, I swear to God if you don't tell me, I'm just going to beat up every Prism I see no matter what Skittery wants."

I sigh. "It was Biff and Jerry, Parker didn't know the other's names."

Denver nods. "I thought so."

I try to glare at him, but he looks so determined I give up quickly and sigh. "Just don't do anything you'll regret."

"I won't."

"And by that, I mean don't do anything Skittery wouldn't do."

"No promises."

I roll my eyes at him, but don't push the subject.

"Well, I'm gonna go get us some ice cream," Riley says, sliding out of the booth. "What'll it be, Ace?"

"A chocolate shake, please and thank you," I say.

"And you, Jett?" Riley asks.

"I'll have a banana split," Jett tells him.

"Got it. Be right back," Riley says, pulling out his wallet and heading for the counter.

He returns in a minute with my shake, a banana split, and two hot fudge sundaes, one of which he slides to Denver.

"Thanks, Riley," I say, and he winks at me. I eat the cherry off my milkshake then scoop up some ice cream.

"You want this?" Denver asks, holding up his cherry. I smile and take it from him.

"How're you feeling?" I ask, checking Denver over. He has a few light bruises on his face, and a small cut on his lip.

"I'm alright," he shrugs. "Ain't like I've never had a few busted ribs before. I probably could've gone to school, but we had a chemistry test today," he grins, and Riley rolls his eyes.

The bell rings above the parlor door, and none other than Biff and Jerry walk in.

"Denver," Riley warns, his voice low, and I grab onto his jacket.

Denver starts cursing under his breath.

"Remember what Skittery said," I remind him, while he balls his hands into fists. "Besides, do you want to break your ribs again? Stay cool."

Denver frowns, and I can tell he's struggling.

Biff catches my eye.

_He smirks at me._

I breath deeply.

The two wander towards our table. We try not to make eye contact and ignore them, but Biff speaks up.

"H-hey, guys," he says, imitating Parker, and my temper rises. "Fancy m-meeting y-you here."

I lessen my grip on Denver's jacket, and he cocks his head at me like he's asking permission.

Jerry joins Biff. "Yeah, w-whatcha up t-to?" he asks with an identical smirk.

I lose it.

Denver and I both jump towards the pair, nearly upending our table, and I smack Biff across the face as hard as I can. He tumbles backwards. Denver shoves Jerry so hard he knocks down six chairs and a cart of dishes.

Glass and melted ice cream rain down on Jerry, and cups and bowls shatter around him.

_"Out!" _the guy behind the counter roars at us. "All of you kids, beat it!"

Riley looks a little embarrassed as he ducks his head down and steers Denver and I out of the shop, with Jett close behind.

"They deserved it. They _sure as hell _deserved it!" Denver's cursing, and I'm still shaking with anger.

Riley walks quickly with an arm around both of us, and we don't stop until we reach the vacant lot.

Riley shoves the two of us onto a park bench.

"Sit and_ stay_," he says firmly, and I feel like a little kid being punished. He sighs and lights a cigarette for Denver, then offers me one. I wave it away, and Riley looks impressed. He hands one to Jett, who looks like he doesn't know what to do with it.

I just watch Denver smoke, and he looks likes he's calmed down a bit.

Riley looks at me and shakes his head, then laughs.

"Glory, Aces. What happened to 'staying cool?'"

"Oh, shut up," I say, crossing my arms. "I wasn't about to let that go."

"I'm glad you didn't," Riley says, lighting Jett's cigarette. "Because if you hadn't done something I would have, and then Skittery'd talk the mickey out of me."

"So are they members of the Prisms?" Jett asks, just holding his cigarette.

"Yeah, the no-good, cheating, assholes-" Denver starts, but Riley steps on his foot.

"Yes they are," he explains. "They're the second and third in command. The first is Phoenix Kay, and his sister Valeri is fourth."

"So, they're bad news?" Jett asks.

Denver opens his mouth to answer, but I grab his hand and stick his cigarette in his mouth to stop him.

"Let's give Jett an honest, objective explanation," I say. "They're only bad news to Greasers, the lower class, Royals, and Stallions."

"So are they upper class?" Jett asks.

"Not quite," I explain. "But almost. I'd say the Stallions are true middle class, so the Prisms are a little above them money-wise. Not as rich as the Soc's, but the closest to them."

"So the Soc's are the best?"

"The Soc's have the most _money_," I repeat. "That doesn't make them the best."

Jett looks like he wants to argue that point, but he keeps quiet. He looks down at his cigarette and finally takes a drag.

Immediately, he doubles over, coughing.

"Jesus Christ, haven't you ever smoked a cigarette before?" Riley laughs as he pounds Jett on the back. "Why didn't you say you can't smoke?"

"I_ can_," Jett insists between coughs. "Watch me."

He tries to take another drag, but that triggers another coughing fit.

Denver snickers at him, and rolls his eyes.

"Glory, Jett, we've gotta teach you how to smoke."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Skittery finds us a little while later, and Jett's finally got the hang of smoking.

He explains that Parker is fine, and his mom was just making a fuss.

"I'm glad he's gonna be alright," I say, standing up. "I've probably got to get home now, though."

I say my goodbyes and start walking away, but I hear my name before I make it down the street.

"Hey, Ace?" Skittery calls, and he runs to catch up with me.

"Hmm?"

"Listen, don't feel bad about this," he says, and that of course makes me feel awful. "This isn't yours or the Royal's fault, the Prisms did this of their own accord. I don't want you feeling you're responsible for anything."

"Of course I feel responsible," I tell him honestly. "I feel awful. Parker wouldn't have gotten jumped if it wasn't for me, I never should've lost my temper and pinned Biff to those lockers-"

"Stop," Skittery says firmly, grabbing my shoulders gently and looking me straight in the eyes. "That's not fair to you, and you know it._ They're _the cheaters, _not_ you. You didn't break any rules. You all could've gotten really hurt if we hadn't come. Anyway, you didn't ask the Stallions to help you guys. If anything, this is all _my _fault."

"I'm sorry we dragged you all into this," I sigh, shaking my head.

"That doesn't matter. I'd do it again if I could," he reassures me. "We_ all _would. The Royals are all amazing girls, we're proud to stand by you."

"Thanks, Skittery," I finally smile. "I'm real glad you're on our side."

He grins back at me and I suddenly remember.

"Oh yeah, Skittery," I say sheepishly. "Biff and Jerry came into Scoops while we were waiting for you, and, well, I kind of smacked Biff."

"Why?" Skittery asks.

"They were making fun of Parker," I frown. "I tried to stop Denver at first, but then they smirked at us and I kind of lost it. Just thought you should hear it from me, first."

Skittery sighs. "It's alright, Ace. I couldn't expect you guys to do nothing. You didn't hurt them too bad, did you?"

"Nawh," I say. "But I'm not sure if I'll be allowed back at Scoop's anytime soon."

Skittery grins. "I'll sneak you in the back way. But that's good, I just want this whole thing to be over. No more fights for a while, it's not good,"

"I agree," I say. "We need a break."

"Well, I don't wanna keep you. Catch you later, Ace," he smiles.

"See ya," I wave, then head back home.

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**A/N**

**Thanks for reading:) I hope you liked it! You'll get to see more of each of their characters eventually:)**

**Thanks for all the follows, favorites, and reviews, they mean so much to me! Please review and tell me what you think:) (And which of the Stallions/Royals you like best and least!)**

**Xoxoxo,**

**EmMarie**


	5. Chapter 5

It's Friday, the night of the movie date with the Stallions.

Parker has recovered enough to go out with us, after much pleading with his overprotective parents.

I hear the doorbell ring as I put one last curl in my hair. I hear Darry get up and answer the door, then hear him having a conversation with the visitor.

I step out of the bathroom to see my oldest brother giving Skittery the third degree.

"Are there enough seat belts in that car?" he questions, eyeing Skittery's red pickup truck.

"Of course," Skittery nods, spotting me. "Ah, Ace! Ready to go?"

"Yeah," I say, grabbing my jacket off the hook. "Bye!" I call to my brothers, who are sitting in the living room.

"Have fun!" Soda calls back.

Darry stops me by putting a hand on my shoulder. "Be back by ten."

"I know," I say, giving him a quick hug. "See you!"

"Bye," he says, and I follow Skittery out to his truck. He opens the passenger door for me, and I sit next to Echo in the front. Riley and Lindsay are seated in the back, and I wave to both of them.

Skittery beeps his horn at Darry as he pulls out of the driveway. Darry watches the truck until we disappear down the road.

"How're you tonight, Ace?" Skittery asks, as Echo greets me by pinching my cheek.

"Good, and you?" I ask, putting my seat belt on as I think of Darry.

"I'm excellent," he grins, and I can't help but notice that when he smiles, Echo smiles too.

We get to the drive-in, and Skittery parks instead of driving up.

"It's more fun to sit on the benches," he says, as we all hop out of the truck. "Besides, this is probably one of the last nice nights of the year."

He tells us to wait by the ticket booth, and while he goes to pay the rest of the group join us.

"What's with the face?" Echo and Riley ask at the same time, though Echo's asking Mickey and Riley's addressing Denver.

Denver scowls. "This girl is riding in the back on the way home," he says, jabbing his thumb towards Mickey, who huffs indignantly.

"I just wanted to change the radio station!" she frowns, and Denver glares at her again.

"The button for the radio looks nothing like the windshield wiper button _or_ the hazard lights button, yet you managed to set both those off!" he rolls his eyes.

"Mickey's not good with cars," I put in for her.

"Unless she's in the backseat," Echo snorts, and I elbow her in the side and try not to giggle.

Mickey seems to take it in stride, though, and winks at Parker, who blushes deeply.

Skittery comes back with the tickets.

"Right this way, ladies," he smiles, hooking his elbow through Echo's and Montgomery's.

Following Skittery's lead, Riley escorts Lindsay by the arm, who looks ecstatic. Parker holds his arm out to Scarlett, but she cocks her eyebrow and walks off alone, so he hesitantly loops his arm through Mickey's, who looks like she'd rather be with Riley.

We being the only two left, Denver gives me a small smile and offers me his arm. I take it, and we follow the groups to two rows near the front.

"Go get us some popcorn," Riley calls to Denver. Denver agrees, and after dropping me off onto a white plastic chair, disappears to the concession stand.

I should have saved him a seat, because by the time he gets back all that's left is the end seat in the row in front of me, by Mickey. Denver frowns, but after handing out the popcorn takes the vacant chair.

Echo sits on the other end in the front row, next to Skittery. Then on his left, Parker sits in between Montgomery and Scarlett. Mickey and Denver are on the other end, and have already started arguing over the popcorn.

I'm sitting behind Echo, next to Riley, who of course has Lindsay on his left. Then, Jett is sitting on the left of Lindsay, behind Parker.

A cheesy romantic movie starts playing. Lindsay hardly ever gets to see flicks, so she immediately gets caught up in it. I like movies, so I try to pay attention, but there's a lot going on around me.

Mickey can't follow the plot, and she keeps whispering for Scar to explain it to her. Denver gets more and more annoyed with the whispering, and finally shushes her, which was a bad idea. She grabs a handful of popcorn from the bucket they're sharing and throws it in his face. He curses loudly, and the whole row in front of him turns around to glare at him.

Montgomery is paying no attention whatsoever, and by the way her head keeps dipping down I guess she's falling asleep. Denver and Mickey keep muttering angrily to each other, but after that, things start quieting down, and I turn my attention back to the screen. The stars are running after a train that's pulling out of the station, and I'm a little confused because I must have missed something.

I watch Skittery drape his arm around Echo's shoulders, and see her tense up. I stifle a laugh and almost feel sorry for him, because I know what's coming: the minute his hand drifts lower he'll get a quick jab in the ribs that'll knock the wind out of him, and Echo will also likely throw her Coke onto him.

But it never happens. His hand stays on her shoulder throughout the rest of the movie.

_Weird._

As soon as the credits roll, Montgomery stands up and stretches. "Well, that was cheesy as hell."

"I liked it!" Lindsay disagrees, sliding off her chair.

"I've seen better," I say, also stretching.

"I didn't get it," Mickey says, and I roll my eyes at her. "Why did he kiss her at the end? The whole movie they hated each other!"

"Probably to get her to stop talking," Denver grumbles, and she turns and glares at him. I laugh when I see both of them have popcorn stuck in their hair.

"Well, we've got about an hour before you ladies need to be home," Skittery says, glancing at his watch. "How about we stop by Scoops?"

Lindsay's eyes brighten, and she nods enthusiastically. We all pile into Denver's and Skittery's trucks, and drive down to the ice cream parlour.

We get there and Skittery hops over the counter and, after taking our orders, starts making us milkshakes.

I find myself in a booth with Parker, Lindsay, and Jett.

"So, Jett," I say turning towards him. "How are you liking Tulsa so far?"

He shrugs noncommittally. "It's alright. Nothing like my old town, but I'm sure I'll get used to it."

"Why did you move here, anyway?" Lindsay asks.

"My dad got a new job, and we had to move," Jett explains. "I've never been to the country before, so this is totally new. I'd never even seen a horse up close until last week."

"Really?" Lindsay asks in amazement. "I love horses. Johnny takes me to the rodeos all the time so I can see them."

"H-have you ever r-ridden one b-before?" Parker suddenly asks, and Lindsay shakes her head.

"They all cost money at the fair," she mumbles. "I'd sure like to, though."

Parker smiles. "T-tell me the next time you g-go to the r-rodeo. I'll c-come along and let you ride m-my horse."

Lindsay's eyes widen. "You have a horse?"

"A f-few, actually," Parker says. "B-but this one's r-really nice, her name's B-Buttercup. You'll l-like her."

"You really mean it?" Lindsay asks in amazement. "I can really ride your horse?"

"Anytime," Parker smiles, and Lindsay nearly squeals with excitement.

"You're the best!" she exclaims, and I notice after that she stops glancing at Riley every twenty seconds and instead focuses on Parker.

Skittery comes back and sets our milkshakes on the table, and we all sit around and talk until closing time. When it's time to leave, Skittery gathers up our dishes and brings them to the back, and we all hop into the trucks again.

"This is your house, right?" Skittery asks Lindsay as he pulls up to the Cade residence. We can all hear the yelling coming from inside, and see the violent figures at the window.

"Yeah," Lindsay says in a small voice. "Thanks for everything."

"No problem, kid," Skittery smiles, hopping out and moving his seat forward so Lindsay could get out.

"It's okay, stay here," she says, when he makes to walk her to the door.

"No, really, I-"

"Just stay here," she sighs and practically pushes him back into his seat.

He looks a little unsure as he climbs back into the truck.

"Is that okay?" he asks softly, watching as she walks up the front steps.

"She's got a big brother to look after her, Johnny," I say.

"I don't feel right just dropping her off," Skittery frowns, watching as something flies through an open window. Probably a beer bottle.

"We never do, either," I tell him sadly, and he hesitantly puts the truck back in gear.

We drive off, but Skittery glances in the rear view mirror too many times.

We get to my house next, and I let Skittery walk me up to the porch.

"I had a great time, thanks for everything," I smile, and he nods.

"We'll have to do stuff together more often," he agrees.

"I'll see you on Monday," I say, turning the door handle.

"See ya, Ace," he salutes, and skips down the porch steps back to his truck.

When I get inside, I see that Darry and Soda were both watching from the window.

"Jesus, you don't need to spy on me," I say exasperatedly. "I'm not going to do anything on my own front porch! Especially not with Skittery."

"You're lucky Darry didn't have the shotgun out," Soda grins. "And another couple of minutes, he would've had a search party going," he says, pointing to to clock, which reads 9:47.

"It's just Skittery," I say again.

"I like him," Darry remarks, sitting on the sofa. "He came to the door and dropped you off on time."

"So glad you approve," I say, only half-sarcastically.

I head off to get ready for bed. Just as I finish brushing my teeth, the phone rings. I hear Soda answer it, and seconds later he calls, "Emmy, it's for you!"

"Coming!" I say, rinsing the toothpaste out of my mouth. I wipe my mouth on a towel before going to answer the phone in the living room.

"Hello?" I ask, wondering who's calling this late.

"He kissed me," Echo's voice comes over the phone. "Ace, he _kissed_ me!"

"Who?" I demand excitedly.

"Skittery, of course!" she exclaims. "Oh, God, it was like a movie. At least, a better movie than the one we just saw."

"Tell me everything!" I say, smiling happily for her.

She sighs dreamily. "He walked me up to my door, then I said, "You know I only came because you were paying, right?" and he smiles and says, "I'd pay a million dollars a date if it meant I could spend time with you." Then I just smiled, and waited for him to kiss me, you know? But he looked all hesitant and unsure. So I kind of gave him a little push, and I stepped up closer to him. Gosh, he's tall, I had to look straight up to see his eyes. You know how pretty his eyes are, Ace? They're all-"

"Echo, back on track," I remind her. "When did he kiss you?"

"Oh, right," she giggles. "Well, stepping closer still didn't do it, so I sighed. He asked me, "What?" so I sighed again and said, "Are you gonna kiss me or not?""

She pauses and I shake my head at her over the phone.

"Then he kissed me!" she exclaims. "Sure, it took him a while, but he_ kissed _me!"

"Nice," I say, since I can't keep myself from smiling. "What happened after that?"

"Oh yeah," Echo says. "As soon as we broke apart, Two-Bit opened the front door."

"What?" I exclaim, knowing full-well how protective our brothers can be. "What'd he do?"

Echo snorts. "It's a damn good thing he was a little toasted, because I don't think he noticed. He just said, "Get inside, Mickey's on," and boy howdy did Skittery leave fast."

I giggle. "Did he wave goodbye?"

"Of course he did," she sighs happily. "Gosh, Ace, I think he's the nicest boy alive."

"Good for you, Echo," I smile again.

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The next night, I wake up late and go to the kitchen for a glass of water. When I head into the living room on the way back, I see someone huddled up on the couch. Upon further inspection, I recognize Lindsay.

I set my glass of water on the coffee table and go and grab a blanket and pillow from the hall closet.

As I cover her with the blanket, she stirs.

"Ace?" she whispers, sitting up.

I tuck the pillow under her and gently push her back down.

"Yeah, it's me Lindsay," I say. "When'd you get here?"

She frowns as she thinks about it. "A little after one, I think," she finally says. "It was getting rough at home, so Johnny pushed me out the door and told me to crash here tonight."

I purse my lips and exhale deeply through my nose. I don't wanna know how bad Johnny's gonna look tomorrow.

"Okay, Lindsay," I say, tucking the blanket around her. "You go on back to sleep now. I'll see you in the morning."

She doesn't need much urging, and falls back against the pillow.

"'Night, Ace."

I grab my glass of water off the table and quietly step down the hall back to my room.

Soda lifts his head when I slide back onto the bed.

"Someone here? I heard voices," he asks softly.

"It's Lindsay," I tell him. "Johnny's at home getting his ass kicked."

Soda swears softly.

"I wish Lindsay could live with us," I say quietly. "Then Johnny wouldn't have to stay at home anymore. You know he only stays to look after her."

"I know," Soda said. "But you know we can't do that. Don't worry, the gang's gonna do all they can to look after them."

"I know," I reply, still a little sad. "I just wish we could do more."

"Me too, Emmy," Soda whispers softly, wrapping his arms around me from behind. "Me too."

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I wake up early the next morning, since I have to get ready for church. I slip out of bed and go wake Lindsay up, then go back to my room to find her something to wear. I creep across the room and head for the closet, careful not to wake Soda.

"Here, wear this," I say, tossing Lindsay a skirt I meant to give her anyway. I've outgrown it for a while now, but it's still nice. It's flowy and blue, with some swirly stitching at the bottom.

I toss her a clean white blouse that's probably too big for her, and she heads into the bathroom to change.

I grab a red skirt and a white blouse for myself, and quickly pull them on. I slip on a pair of black flats, then try to tiptoe out of the room.

"Emmy?' Soda mumbles from the bed.

"Yeah?"

"You off to church?" he asks sleepily.

"Of course," I tell him. "Same as always. You wanna come?" I ask, even though I know he doesn't.

Soda rolls over onto his other side. "Nah. Say a prayer for me."

"It doesn't work like that," I half-smile and roll my eyes. "But I'll try anyway."

"Have fun."

I'd been sick and stayed at home the day Pony and Johnny took Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit to church and gotten embarrassed. They tried so hard to get out of church the next week, but I wouldn't let them stay home. I'd dragged the two of them into Soda's truck and forced them back. I knew how much they liked going, and I wasn't going to let a little thing like shame stop them from getting to heaven.

When I head into the kitchen, Pony's already in there, fixing breakfast.

"Morning, Em," he says, flipping pancakes. "You sleep alright?"

I nod and start setting the table. "You?"

He nods back, and I walk up behind him and straighten the collar of his clean, white shirt.

Johnny shows up at our house at half past eight, right on time. I'm relieved he was okay enough to walk here, even if he's got a black eye and a split lip from his dad.

Lindsay gives him a big hug as soon as he walks through the door.

"You okay?" I ask him. He looks exhausted, but smiles at me.

"I'm alright, Ace," he says, kissing the top of Lindsay's head.

I know he means he's alright as long as Lindsay's okay, but I know he's probably still hurting.

Pony tosses him a bottle of aspirin, and he catches it and swallows a few. Then, we all sit down around the table and eat the pancakes Pony made. After we finish, Lindsay and I do the dishes.

"We all set?" Pony asks, checking us over once we'd cleaned up.

"Yupp, come on," I say, heading for the door. "Don't wanna be late."

We all pile into Soda's truck, and Pony drives us to the white church. It's very large, and half of Tulsa attends every week. There's already dozens of cars parked outside when we pull up.

I grab my Bible and walk in beside Ponyboy. We quietly slip into our usual pew in the back, and wait for the morning service to start.

"Hey, Aces," a voice whispers, and I turn to see Denver, looking very uncomfortable in a suit and tie.

"Hey," I smile. "I didn't know you went here."

"I try not to," Denver makes a face and pulls at his tie, "but Skittery thinks I need Jesus. Can you freakin' believe that?"

I laugh softly. "I can't imagine. Is Skittery here?"

"Yeah, he and his mom are here every Sunday," Denver says, pointing across the aisle towards the middle. "Riley and Parker are here too, but they're down there," he says, pointing to the first few rows of pews.

"Oh, Denver, this is Johnny," I say, putting my hand on Johnny's shoulder to introduce them. "Johnny, this is Denver. He's a Stallion."

Johnny glances at Ponyboy, who nods.

"Nice to meet you, Denver," Johnny says, holding out a hand to shake.

"You too," Denver nods. "You're Lindsay's big brother?"

"Yeah," Johnny smiles, putting an arm around her.

The church pianist starts playing a hymn, signaling the start of the service.

"Ugh," Denver groans, watching as the preacher steps up to the podium. "I hate this so much. Hey, you guys wanna sit with us?" he asks hopefully.

I give a questioning look to Ponyboy, who shrugs.

"Sure," he says, rising.

We follow Denver to the middle row, and we slide in next to Skittery and his mother. I sit next to Skittery, with Denver on my right and the rest of the gang next to him.

"Hey, Ace!" Skittery says brightly with a big smile. "Mom, this is one of the girls I was telling you about. Her name is Ace, and that's her brother Ponyboy Curtis, and that's Lindsay."

"Very nice to meet you," Mrs. Andrews smiles kindly at us. "I've already heard a lot about you all. And you are?" she asks, addressing Johnny.

"Johnny Cade," Johnny says politely, and I can tell he likes Mrs. Andrews. She reminds me a lot of my own mother, and Two-Bit's.

"It's lovely to meet you, too," she smiles.

We stand up to sing _The Old Rugged Cross_, and I find it extremely amusing when I hear Skittery can't carry a tune in a bucket, but he tries all the same. Pony and Johnny can _kind of _sing, but they do so quietly. Lindsay's got a quiet, sweet voice, and I suppose I'm alright.

However, I look at Denver, surprised, when I hear him singing the right notes. He grins and wiggles his eyebrows at me, then shows off and switches to singing the harmony.

When we sit down, the preacher launches into a ridiculously long prayer. Denver sighs about every thirty seconds, and each time Skittery elbows him in the ribs.

When it's finally over, the preacher starts his sermon, and I can tell it's going to be a fire and brimstone one about hell. I've never liked those, because they kind of scare me, so I try to tune it out and just pray silently in my head.

Pony, Johnny, Lindsay, Skittery, and Mrs. Andrews are all listening with rapt attention. Denver slips me a note, and I almost giggle out loud when I unfold it and see it's a tic-tac-toe grid. He slips me a pen, and I make an X in the center box.

He curses silently, which gets him a disapproving look from Skittery, and makes an O in a corner box.

We go back and forth like that for the whole sermon, secretly passing the paper back and forth so we don't get in any trouble.

Halfway through the service, Montgomery slips into the sanctuary. She always makes sure to clean up for church, and she has the red streaks washed out of her hair, and she's taken all her piercings out. Her skirt flows as she ducks down the aisle, slipping into the seat next to Johnny.

His face lights up, and they immediately put their heads together to whisper. Montgomery glances around, then slips her pinky finger around Johnny's, and they try and hide that they're holding hands.

Denver taps me with the tic-tac-toe grid. I unfold the paper and see that aside from the O he put in the center right column to block my row, he's written on the top left corner:

Are they together?

I look back and forth between Johnny and Montgomery and Denver. How did he know?

Johnny and Montgomery have had crushes on each other since she was in sixth grade. The only thing stopping them from going out was Dally.

All the Greasers swore off each other's kid sisters, but I'm sure Dally would have approved of her dating Johnny, he's got nothing to worry about. I've seen them together and he's always so gentle with her, but they were still nervous about telling Dally, so they kept it quiet. They always went to church together, though, the one place they knew they'd never run into Dallas.

I draw an X in another corner and pencil back:

Technically.

Denver reads the note and smiles. He makes an O in the left center column and scribbles something else on the paper:

You have nice handwriting ツ

I smile at him and mouth "thanks," then draw my final X and draw a line through my row.

He frowns and flips the paper over to draw another grid, but then the organist starts playing _Amazing Grace_, and everyone stands up.

"Jesus, that was a long sermon," Denver breathes, reaching for a hymnal.

"I'm gonna go say hi to Parker and Riley," Lindsay says, as we file out of the church, once the service wraps up.

Montgomery and Johnny grin at each other.

"Go ahead, I'll come find you when we're ready to leave," Johnny says, and Lindsay skips off.

Montgomery's hand slips into Johnny's again, and they stroll off to the corner of the wooden fence surrounding the church. I watch as he lifts Montgomery up onto the fence, then hops up to sit by her. She rests her head on his shoulder, and I hear a few old people sigh and comment on "young love."

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**A/N**

**Hope you all liked it:) Thanks for reading! Also, thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites- they made my day!:D**

**Also, the fonts I used for their handwriting didn't show up- boo:( :P In case you're curious, Ace's handwriting is called Zaptino, and Denver's is Bradley Hand ITC. :)**

**This may have been kind of a slow chapter, but I needed to establish a few things:) I promise, it picks up again in the next chapter!**

**Please comment on your favorite and least favorite characters, if you would:) And, should I make my chapters shorter? This seemed kinda long. (4,300 words!)**

**Again, thanks for reading:) Please review:) **

**Xoxoxo,**

**EmMarie**


	6. Chapter 6

_Blame it on the alcohol_

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: I in no way advocate underage drinking! (Except for my fictional characters ;D)**

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"So what do you want to do this Friday when all our brothers are out?" I ask Echo, and a mischievous grin appears on her face.

"We're going to party, of course!" she announces, sliding into her seat.

"Who's going to party?" Skittery asks, setting his tray beside Echo's. Ever since the two had started dating, the Stallions had been sitting with us at lunch.

"And I hope you didn't mean you were going to party without us?" Denver grinned, sitting next to me.

"Wouldn't dream of it," I said. "All our brothers are going out on Friday to a party in the city, leaving us alone for the night. I was just asking Echo what we should do while they're gone."

Denver grins. "I know a place that doesn't I.D.."

"But you have to at least_ look _eighteen," Riley says apologetically to Scarlett, Mickey, and Lindsay.

Scarlett shrugs. "Whatever. I don't like to drink, anyway."

Skittery raises his eyebrows at her, but says nothing.

"Hey!" Mickey protests. "_I _look eighteen, don't I?"

"No," Denver says quickly.

"Yes I do," she insists. "Come on, Ace, can't I come?"

"I dunno, Mickey," I say. "You only _just _turned fifteen. It's close."

She frowns. "Skittery?"

He holds up both hands. "Don't drag me into this."

"I look plenty old enough," Mickey decides, then glares at Riley and Denver, daring them to challenge her. Denver looks like he wants to, but from the way he starts I think Skittery kicked him under the table.

"I w-wish I c-could come," Parker frowns, "b-but my p-parents are d-dragging me to a c-country club this F-Friday."

"That doesn't sound too bad," I say, trying to make him feel better.

"B-Biff and Jerry are g-gonna be there," Parker sighs. "And a f-few other P-Prisms and Soc's."

"Still doesn't sound too bad," Jett mutters, but I think I'm the only one who hears him.

"Sorry, buddy," Denver says. "We'll have a round for you."

"T-thanks," Parker says glumly. "Have f-fun, guys."

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"I know you don't have school tomorrow, but don't stay out too late anyway," Darry tells me, trying to fit in one last lecture before he, Soda, and Ponyboy head out to the party the Greasers had been invited to in the city. "And stay away from the South side."

"I know," I say, trying to get him out the door. "I'll be fine, you know Mrs. Matthews will take care of me."

Darry frowns anyway. "Just because I'm gone doesn't mean you have permission to get crazy, you hear me?"

"I won't!" I insist. "Now go, don't worry about me."

"Oh, alright," Darry says, pulling me into a quick hug. "Just be good, Emerald Grace."

"I will," I lie, crossing my fingers behind his back.

"We'll be back late tonight, probably around three," Darry adds, heading out the door. "Make sure you're home by at least lunch tomorrow."

Pony comes up and grins at me. "I know that wasn't a real promise. Just don't drink anything you haven't tried before, don't spend the night with any boys, and don't drive afterwards."

"Got it," I smile back, and he hugs me more softly than Darry did, and ruffles my hair.

After he heads out the door, Soda comes up to me.

"Have fun," he winks, pressing a ten dollar bill into my palm.

"You're the best," I grin, giving him a hug.

I stand on the porch and wave to them until Darry's truck disappears down the road.

When they're gone, I rush back inside to get changed. I can't go out on the town in sweat pants, can I?

I dig through my closet and pull out a sky blue dress. Mickey had made me buy it the time she dragged me to the mall, insisting it looked great on me. Well, if I'm going to go out, might as well look cute, right?

I pull the dress on, then put a few curls in my hair. I slip on a pair of black flats, because they're comfortable, then shrug on a sweater before heading out the door.

I head for Scoops to meet everyone, like we agreed this morning. Montgomery and Skittery are the only ones there so far, and he's using a handkerchief to wipe a streak of green off her cheek.

"You been painting, Spots?" I ask her, and she grins.

"Some guy gave me a hundred bucks today for that landscape I did last Tuesday," she says excitedly. "I had to paint another one."

"Nice," I say, as Echo walks up.

She leans over and kisses Skittery on the cheek, then turns to me.

"You told Darry you'd be at my house, right?" she asks.

"Yupp."

"Then we're set," she grins, slipping her hand into Skittery's. She looks nice, and seems to have gotten dressed up. She's wearing heels, a sparkly top, and a short red skirt that Darry would have yelled at me for wearing.

Montgomery looks nice as well, wearing a form-fitting black dress, and dark, subtle makeup. She has all her piercings in, including her nose stud, cartilage piercing, and all four earlobes.

We're soon joined by Riley and Denver.

"You all look great," Riley says smoothly, and we smile at him. Denver nods in agreement.

"Ready to go?" Denver asks, then glances behind me. "Oh, holy shit..."

"What?" I ask, turning around. My jaw drops when I see Mickey.

She's wearing an extremely short, tight, sparkly silver skirt that leaves very little to the imagination. Her top is bright red, and cut low, and would be showing a lot more skin if not for the white tank top barely peeking out. She's wearing heels that are much too high to be sensible, and to finish herself off, she's coated her face in bright makeup.

"You look like a prostitute!" Denver and Echo say at the same time, then grin and high-five each other.

"Seriously, Mickey?" Montgomery asks. "Tim and Curly let you out of the house like that?"

She smirks with her red lipstick. "They don't need to know what I'm wearing."

"Jesus, Mickey," I shake my head. _"Why?"_

"I don't look fifteen, now, do I?" she asks gloatingly.

"No, no you don't," Jett says, still staring at her in shock.

Skittery clears his throat. "Shall we go?"

Jett immediately offers his arm to Mickey, who smiles flirtatiously and takes it.

"This way," Riley says, leading us down the street, towards the South side.

Montgomery sidles up to Riley to talk, and right behind them are Skittery and Echo, holding hands. Jett and Mickey are in front of me, and I reach out and tug on the back of her skirt, trying to make it longer. She swats my hand away and flips me off over her shoulder.

I exhale deeply through my nose, but before I can step on the back of her high heel, Denver drapes his arm over my shoulder.

"You can't fix stupid," he whispers, and I giggle.

"I know, I've tried," I say. "She won't listen, anyway."

"I swear, talking to her is like talking to a really pretty, vaguely intelligent brick wall," Denver continues, my laughter only encouraging him.

"Cut her some slack," I say in between giggles. "Life's tough."

"But it's tougher for stupid people," he points out., and I crack up again.

"It's a good thing she's pretty," he adds as an afterthought.

We walk past a few rough neighborhoods to get to the bar. When we walk in, the bouncers don't pay us a second glance. It seems to be a pretty shady place, the air thick with smoke and drunken laughter.

We all take seats at the bar, and Riley orders us a round of beer.

"To Parker," Skittery says, raising his glass. "Poor kid."

As soon as we finish our first drink, things pick up. Everything seems funnier, the place looks brighter, and we're all feeling good.

Time passes in a blur, and it must be around midnight when we start on the shots of vodka.

"This is where we separate the boys from the men!" Denver says, probably quoting some western movie, raising his glass.

Not to be outdone, Echo grabs her own shotglass and downs it.

We all tips our glasses up, and there goes round one of the higher-content alcohol.

"Have you kids ever had some of that?" a man sitting across from us asks, jerking a thumb towards a bottle of rum.

Skittery squints at it, then shakes his head.

"Bartender, gimme a round for me and each of these kids!" the guy chuckles, slapping a bill onto the counter. The bartender nearly rolls his eyes, since we're some of the only customers left, but pours us each the drink nonetheless. It smells strong, and it makes my eyes tear up.

"To being young!" the man toasts, draining his glass.

We all nod at him and drain our own.

_Oh my God..._

After that, everything starts running together. Mickey goes over and kisses the guy who bought us the drink, and he buys us each two more rounds.

Jett pays for a whole bottle of whiskey, and we pass that around, drinking it straight from the bottle.

We're all giddy from the alcohol buzz, so we head back to the pool table and play a few games. Montgomery is having trouble holding her cue stick, and she keeps accidentally jabbing us. No one gets mad, though, we just laugh it off and keep playing.

The guys are less affected by the alcohol, so they beat us at pool. Since the girls are the losers, we each have to cough up the money for another round.

As we throw back more shots, everyone loosens up more, if possible.

"I've never noticed how pretty your eyes are," Jett says to Mickey, slurring a bit.

Mickey's already nearly drunk, so she responds by kissing him full on the mouth.

It's a sloppy kiss from her end, but Jett is slightly more sober, so he seems to know what he's doing.

More drinks. More blurs.

The boys beat us in pool twice more before the alcohol finally kicks in for them. Then we beat them because they're too busy cursing and giggling and falling all over themselves.

We head back to the bar for another round, and Mickey grabs Riley and kisses him on the mouth. He looks surprised, but returns the kiss enthusiastically.

"We won't be outdone, will we?" Echo says to Skittery, putting her hands on both sides of his face and kissing him.

Mickey pulls herself off of Riley and glances around the room.

"Hey, hot stuff," she says, tilting her head down and batting her eyes at Denver. "You're lookin' lonely."

Denver raises his eyebrows, but doesn't quite resist when she grabs him by the collar and starts on him.

"You smell good," she slurs, practically falling onto him. I realize that they are, in fact, falling, but before I can stop them, Denver's bar stool tips backwards and they hit the floor.

Mickey hardly notices, and just glues her lips back to Denver's.

I guess Montgomery eventually gets sick of the noises they're making, because she goes over and kicks Denver sharply in the ribs. Denver rolls out from under Mickey, while Montgomery rights his chair. She then drags Mickey by the arm to her own seat.

"Stay put, you're probably going to regret that in the morning," Echo warns, giggling.

Mickey pouts. "But that guy was hot!"

"'That guy' was_ Denver_," Skittery laughs, grabbing Mickey's chin and turning her head towards Denver.

"Oh, yuck, not _you_ again," Mickey rolls her eyes when she sees him. "When did_ he _get here?"

"Drink this," Riley laughs, setting the half-empty whiskey bottle in front of her. "You're gonna need it."

"I dunno how to open this," Mickey slurs, struggling with the lid.

"I swear, you couldn't pour water out of a boot with instructions on the heel," Echo giggles, taking the bottle from her and twisting the cap off.

Mickey snatches the bottle back and takes a swig, not bothering to screw the cap back on because she knows she'll be drinking more in a minute anyway.

"Lets have another round!" Denver announces, wiping Mickey's lipstick off his mouth. He pays, and we all raise our glasses to him.

This can't be good for us, I think about a couple hours later as we shoot down another glass of vodka. Everyone has cleared out of the bar except for us, and the bartender is starting to give us mean looks whenever we laugh too loudly. He's also glancing irritably at Echo and Skittery, who have been kissing for the last five minutes straight.

"Oh my God, it's 3:00 in the morning!" I giggle when I glance at the clock, not sure what I'm finding funny.

"Does that mean its time for another drink?" Riley says, reaching for his shot glass. "Hit me again, bartender!"

The bartender gives us a glare, but pours us each another round of vodka when Riley slaps a few bills on the counter. I don't think he notices that he put way too much money down, but I don't think he'd care if he did.

"To us!" Montgomery slurs, and we drain our glasses again.

Skittery and Echo are still making out at the end of the bar.

"Get a room, you guys," Mickey hiccups, but she's ignored. She's moved and is sitting away from us at a booth, rambling about the Stallions to some guy covered in tattoos. He looks interested, as she keeps repeating, "And his name is Denver, it's just_ Denver_, and don't forget. D-E-N-V, uh, and the rest of it! He's got black hair. _Real _black." The tattoo guy nods and a strange grin spreads over his face.

"Wait wait_ wait_," I say, my head spinning, and gears slowly clicking into place. "It's 3:00 in the morning."

"Another drink?" Riley asks. He's so drunk, it's not even funny. For that matter, we all are.

"N-no," I slur, accidentally knocking my shot glass over. "We gotta get home. It's late."

"Stay a while!" Montgomery drawls, pushing the nearly empty bottle of whiskey towards me.

"No, I think I'm in trouble," I say, as I try to slide off the bar stool. I immediately fall on my face.

Everyone starts laughing, myself included, because I can't focus for very long. I already forgot why I'm on the floor...

"Up ya go," Skittery says, falling off his seat and staggering towards me. He tries to lean down to pick me up, but he falls over too.

I'm trying to roll onto my side to stand, but the world keeps spinning around me, like all the walls are pulling me towards them. Pretty soon, everyone has hopped off their chair to pick me or Skittery up, but they all fall, too.

"Alright, that's enough of you kids!" The bartender rages. "Out! _Out!"_

"I'll have one more," Echo giggles, which sends everyone into a fit of drunken laughter. The bartender growls and hauls each one of us to our feet, then shoves us out the door.

We all careen into the street, landing on our hands and knees. A car honks its horn loudly and swerves around us.

"Watch it, punks!" the driver yells out the window.

"_You_ watch it!" Mickey shouts back, trying to give him the finger. She seems to lack the coordination for it, and soon gives up and just gives him a thumbs up instead. She managed to save the bottle of whiskey from the bar, and is holding onto it tightly.

We roll onto the sidewalk and finally manage to stand up, leaning heavily on the brick building behind us.

"Damn, this is fun," Echo hiccups, and we all agree with her.

Then, she staggers forward and throws up.

"Little girls can't take the tequila, can they?" Riley teases. Then, he turns to the side and throws up too.

We try and make fun of him, but we're all too drunk to talk.

I sit down and lean against the building, getting too dizzy to stand. I hope no one starts smoking, because I have a feeling we'll all go up in flames.

"I'm cold," Mickey complains, pulling her sweater off. She starts to pull her shirt off too, but Skittery grabs her wrist.

"Oh no you don't," Skittery says, his gentlemanliness overriding his drunkenness.

"Yeah, keep your clothes on for once," I say, suddenly feeling a little mean. Mickey's too drunk to catch the insult though, but she keeps her clothes on anyway.

"It's late. What the hell are we gonna do now?" Montgomery slurs.

For once I don't have an answer. The buzz that had put us on top of the world only hours ago is now sending all of us into a rapid downward spiral. I can't think straight, but I know I can't go home right now, my brothers are probably back. I don't think I can go to Echo's house either, because I don't think Mrs. Matthews wants two wasted girls there.

"You guys can crash at my house," Denver speaks up. "My Dad's gone for the night."

"Good idea," Skittery says, rubbing his head. He looks as nauseous as I feel. "Who's with us?"

Everyone shakily raises their hand. We'd all get in so much trouble if we went home tonight.

Riley and Echo are still puking every few minutes, but we try and hold them up as best we can and stagger to Denver's house. Someone falls over about every five feet, but we carry on.

My balance is severely impaired, and since my head is spinning I'm staggering the most. I don't know if Denver didn't drink as much as we did, or if he's just not as affected by the rest of us, but when I skin my knee for the third time he scoops me up in his arms and carries me down the sidewalk. He's walking pretty straight, and I feel safer in his arms than I do on my own feet.

I'm too stoned to even notice what his house looks like, but I vaguely register that it's a pretty building. There are some sort of flowers growing out front, which Jett staggers over.

I have a feeling Denver is going to regret having us over the minute Mickey pukes on his porch.

He doesn't seem to notice, though, and just pushes the door open for us.

"Crash wherever you want," he nods to the gang.

We're too plastered to walk any farther, so we all collapse onto his living room furniture. Denver sets me on one end of the couch, and Montgomery takes the other. Jett takes a chair, Echo and Skittery start making out again on the sofa, and Denver falls into an armchair, probably too tired to walk to his room. Mickey's still clutching the nearly-empty bottle of whiskey as she curls up on the rug. She must've taken her bright red shirt off somewhere along the way here, because she only has her tank top on. Riley collapses onto the floor, and it takes a minute for us to realize that he blacked out.

"Uh oh," someone says. My brain is so messed up, I can't tell who spoke. The faces around me all start to blur together, and the next thing I know everything is black.

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I wake up with the worst headache I've ever had in my entire life.

I crack my eyes open and see Echo lying on the other end of the couch. She groaning and clutching her head. I turn my head to the side and see the bathroom door open a crack, and hear retching sounds coming through.

There are several puke stains I can see from here, and I close my eyes before I get sick. I then smell that someone made coffee.

Someone grabs my wrist and pushes a steaming mug of the stuff into my hand. I crack my eyes open again to see Denver. He's got dark circles under his bloodshot blue eyes, and his jet black hair is a complete mess.

"Drink that," he croaks, his voice sounding as hoarse as mine feels. "And here," he adds, taking a bottle and pouring a handful of aspirin into my hand. "You probably have a killer headache, too."

"Yes," I moan, swallowing all the pills. Darry's always getting on me about only taking the recommended dose, but I figure this time I need it.

Denver goes and gets a cup of coffee for Echo, who is cursing up a storm.

"God_damn_ you," she swears at Denver, who is gulping down his own cup of joe. "Why did I let you talk me into that harebrained scheme? That was the most idiotic thing I've ever done in my life."

"That whole thing was _your_ idea," Denver reminds her, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Screw you anyway," Echo mumbles into her drink.

I almost smile, but it feels like my head's going to split in two, and my stomach isn't being too nice, either.

"You two have done pretty good, though," Denver nods appreciatively. "Ace, I think you're the only one who hasn't puked."

I quickly prove him wrong, as I cover my mouth with my hand and run into the bathroom. Montgomery and Jett are puking in the sink, Mickey and Riley are puking into the bathtub, and Skittery's head is buried in the toilet. I shove Mickey aside and join them.

By the time I've puked my guts out, I feel awful. I stagger out of the bathroom by myself and lean against the hallway wall.

"Why don't you take a hot shower?" Denver suggests, joining me. "I was going to take one first, but I think you need it more."

"I don't think you want to use the shower," I mumble, gesturing to the bathroom, where most everybody is still throwing up.

Denver nearly smiles. "Yeah, I_ don't. _Go ahead and use the one upstairs, first door on your right. I'll bring you something to change into."

"Thanks," I say, heading for the stairs.

I don't have much experience with hangovers, and this is the worst one I've ever had, but Denver was right. The hot shower helps a lot, and by the time I step out, I almost feel sober.

There's a light tap on the door, so I wrap my towel around myself and open it.

"Here you go," Denver says, handing me a t-shirt and pair of sweatpants of his. "They're probably too big, but they'll have to do."

"Thanks," I say again, gratefully taking the clean clothes. They smell like Denver's cologne, and they're extremely comfortable. I dry my hair off and step out of the bathroom, not wanting to make Denver wait for his shower.

When I get back downstairs, I shove my dirty clothes into a plastic grocery bag and tie it up, leaving it by the front door so I'll remember to take it with me.

I look around the house, and I start to feel guilty. We pretty much wrecked it last night. Echo's still on the couch, but I see that Skittery and Montgomery have come out of the bathroom and are drinking coffee at the dining room table.

"Well _damn_, you look alright!" Montgomery says to me almost indignantly. "And here we all are looking like shit!"

"And feeling like hell," Skittery adds, putting his arms on the table and leaning on them.

"_Please _tell me I didn't flash anyone last night," Mickey says, stumbling out of the bathroom in her tank top. "Because I can't find my shirt anywhere."

"I tried to stop you," Skittery mumbles into his sleeves.

"No, I don't think you flashed anyone," I tell her. "But I don't think we'd remember if you did."

"You did _kiss _quite a few people though," Echo calls from the couch.

Mickey groans. "Who?"

"Let's see," Montgomery says, holding out her fingers to count them off. "There was the stranger in the bar, that guy who bought us a round, then you kissed Jett, then you tried to kiss the bartender, then you slapped some _guy's_ butt, then you slapped some_ chick's _butt-"

"That was me," I cut in.

"Yeah, and then you kissed Riley," Montgomery finishes. "_Damn_, I can't believe I remembered all that!"

"You forgot she kissed Denver," I add.

_"No!" _Mickey moans, collapsing at the table. "There's no way I kissed Denver!"

"You did," Denver confirms, stepping into the kitchen. His hair is wet from the shower, and his eyes look less bloodshot.

"That doesn't mean anything," Mickey insists, putting her head in her hands. "Only that I'd have to be wasted to even_ think _about kissing you!"

"What happened to 'hot stuff?" Denver asks, putting on another pot of coffee.

"I don't recall that, so I'm gonna pretend I never said it._ It never happened!" _Mickey nearly shouts, covering her ears.

"What the _hell_ is on your back, Mickey?" Montgomery suddenly exclaims, grabbing Mickey's shoulder and twisting her around. "Oh my God..."

_"What?" _Mickey demands, trying to twist around to look at whatever it is. I catch a glimpse of a dark design on her shoulder blade, and I gasp out loud.

"Jesus, Mickey, is that a _tattoo_?" I ask incredulously.

_"No!" _she shrieks, running into the bathroom. She yanks her tank top down and tries to stare at her shoulder blade in the mirror.

"Shit!" Mickey exclaims, seeing the dark design. "Oh, shit shit_ shit_!"

"Yupp, that's a tattoo," Montgomery shakes her head.

"What is it of?" Mickey asks anxiously.

"Glory, that's a nice horse," Echo snickers, joining us in the now-crowded bathroom. We all stare in shock at the black stallion on her shoulder blade.

"A _horse?" _Mickey screams, a horrified look on her face. She staggers out of the bathroom, looking like she's about to pass out.

"Uh oh," Skittery says, raising his eyebrows when he finally sees the tattoo. "Um, Mickey, that's not the worst of it."

"How could it possibly be worse?" she wails, collapsing at the kitchen table.

"It says 'Denver.'"

_"What?"_ Denver demands. He and Mickey both look fully sober now. "Let me see!"

He walks up behind Mickey and stares at the tattoo.

"Jesus Christ," he swears, frowning when he sees his name in cursive by the horse's mane.

"How long do tattoos last?" Mickey asks, and we all just stare at her.

Skittery's finally kind enough to break the bad news.

"Forever."

Mickey's jaw drops, and she starts shaking her head. "I need a drink."

She grabs Skittery's cup of coffee and downs it.

"Vodka was a bad idea," I shake my head, dropping down at the table. "Remind me to never do that again."

"At least not until next time out brothers are out of town," Echo grins, and we all simultaneously yell at her.

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**A/N**

**How was that?:) Hope you guys liked it!**

**I think the chapters are gonna be a bit shorter from now on, since this one was around 4,600 words:P Unless you like them long?**

**Please vote on the poll on my profile, asking who, if anyone, I should kill off. (Or your favorite might die... *cue dramatic music!*)**

**Thanks for reading:) Please review and tell me what you thought!**

**Xoxoxo,**

**EmMarie**


	7. Chapter 7

We get Denver's house cleaned up, and I'm walking up my house by two o'clock that afternoon.

"How was the party?" I ask Ponyboy, who's sitting on the front porch with his head in his hands.

He looks up at me with bloodshot eyes. "Awesome."

"You want some coffee or something?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "Darry said to just get some air."

"He's right," I say, skipping up the steps past him. "Hope you feel better."

When I get inside the house, I see Soda frying eggs at the stove, with Darry mixing pancake batter.

"How was the party for you two?" I ask, hopping up onto the counter. I notice Soda didn't drink much, if at all, because his eyes are bright and clear, whereas Darry looks as hungover as Ponyboy.

"Oh, it was fantastic," Soda grins. "You shoulda been there, we got Darry to loosen up and he-"

"Whose clothes are those?" Darry suddenly cuts in.

I glance down at myself, realizing I'm still wearing Denver's t-shirt and sweatpants.

"Oh, um," I say, searching my brain for a suitable lie but coming up with nothing. I can't see a way out of this one, because they're obviously a boy's clothes and smell like cologne.

Darry glares at me suspiciously. "Were you with any boys last night?"

"No," a lie comes quickly, and I scoff like I find the idea ridiculous. "Echo and I went for a walk this morning, and we stopped by the creek we used to play at when we were kids. We met some guys from school there, and when we got all wet we went to one of their houses and he let us borrow some dry clothes." My hair, wet from the shower, adds credibility to my story.

"You sure?" Soda asks, and I know he didn't believe a word of it. _How the heck can he always tell?_

"Positive," I swallow, trying not to give myself away.

He shrugs, and knows if I'm lying there must be a reason, so he doesn't push it. He knows I'll likely tell him later, anyway, even if "later" is a year from now.

Darry seems satisfied with my explanation, though, and we eat the breakfast/lunch they made as they tell me about the party. Apparently Two-Bit had led the entire party in a karaoke sing-off, and as they recount the story Soda elbows Darry in the side until he gets up to show me the medal he won from the karaoke contest.

Soda grins, and proudly mounts it on the wall.

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I don't see any of my friends until school on Monday.

"Did you get in any trouble?" I ask Echo when I see her in the hallway.

She slams her locker shut. "Are you kidding? Two-Bit was still drunk when I got home, you think he'd notice my hangover?"

"That's good," I grin.

"How about you?" Echo asks.

"I got away clean, too," I say. "Soda suspects something, but I don't think he's thinking it involved alcohol, more along the lines of boys."

Echo snorts, and we head off to our classes.

At lunch, we meet up with Mickey and Montgomery. Scarlett's somehow managed to slip out of detention, so she sits with us, too.

"Guess what's happening this Wednesday?" Echo announces, as we all sit at our usual table.

"What?" Montgomery asks.

"The five year anniversary of the Royals!" Echo exclaims, grinning. "We're gonna have to celebrate!"

Mickey groans and shakes her head. "I can't."

"Why not?" I ask.

"I tried to hide it, but Tim and Curly found out about the... _thing_," she grimaces.

Echo grins. "You mean they saw your lovely tattoo?"

"Oh, God, don't call it _my_ tattoo, that makes it sound like I _wanted_ it," Mickey says.

"You know you wanted Denver," Echo teases, and Mickey smacks her on the arm.

"Shuttup. Either way, I'm grounded."

"For how long?" I ask.

"Apparently until the tattoo comes off," Mickey sighs. "I told them Skittery says they last forever, but Tim didn't seem to take that too well."

"I can't go either," Scarlett frowns.

"What'd _you_ do?" I ask incredulously.

"Steve grounded me, too, can you freakin' believe it?" she says, pouting. "Apparently four C's on my report card isn't good enough. I'm not allowed to go nowhere until I get my GPA up."

"Sucks for you," Echo says sympathetically.

Echo has horrible grades, too, straight D's and F's. She's smart, really, but she just doesn't try. Heck, I don't think she'd even come to school at all if Two-Bit didn't insist on it. He always liked school, even if it took him two extra years to finish. He graduated last year, and got a job at Buck's. The pay is decent, since Two-Bit was the only applicant that could stand the constant Hank Williams music.

Mickey's another story. I have a feeling she's going to follow in Tim and Curly's footsteps and drop out of high school any day now. Straight D's, and the only thing she's passing is music.

"So are you in, Spots?" I ask Montgomery. She's put purple streaks in her hair today, which really suits her.

"It's a school night," Montgomery says apologetically. "I need to study for the quiz on Thursday. I need to keep my GPA up to get that scholarship to the Art Institute of Chicago."

"Nerd," Echo shakes her head. "So what, it's just me and you, Ace? We'll have to drink alone?"

"Echo, have you _really _forgotten your last hangover that quickly?" I ask.

She waves my comment aside. "We ain't gonna get drunk. Come on, just a couple shots?"

I roll my eyes. "You know this is going to turn out to be a terrible idea, don't you?"

"We won't remember it in the morning anyway," she grins. "Come on."

I sigh. "Oh, alright."

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Wednesday, after I get home from school, I'm sitting on the couch trying to finish my homework while Darry makes dinner. Pony's still at school, for track practice, when Soda gets home from work.

He's grinning from ear to ear, and since it's the second Wednesday of the month I know he's got a surprise for me.

You see, every second Wednesday, Soda gets his paycheck from his boss at the DX. He always stops by a store in town and picks up something small for me, things like hair ribbons, peppermint sticks, or perfume.

"Guess what I got for you?" Soda says excitedly, holding something behind his back.

I toss my homework to the side. "What?"

He produces an orange paperback book, titled _To Kill a Mockingbird_.

"The guy at the bookstore said it was good, I thought you'd like it," he says, holding it out to me.

I throw my arms around his neck. "Thanks, Soda!" I smile, and he gives me a tight squeeze.

"You're welcome, Emmy," he grins back, then heads into the kitchen.

"Here's the rest of it, Darry," he says, holding out a white envelope.

"Set it on the counter and help me with dinner," Darry tells him, and Soda immediately heads to the pantry to look for food coloring.

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After dinner, I tell Darry I'm going to meet up with Echo. After telling me to not stay out too late, I head out the door.

I walk to the bar Echo specified. She wanted to go to this one, since she knows one of the bartenders, so he doesn't ask us for an I. D. when we walk in.

"Glad you came," Echo grins, raising her glass. "To the Royals, and five more years of friendship."

"That was touching," I say, hopping onto the barstool beside her, and she pushes a glass towards me.

"Don't I know it," she says, pretending to wipe a tear from her eyes. "So, I was thinking- oh, _shit."_

Echo trails off when she glances at the door, and I turn to follow her gaze.

_Seriously?_

Phoenix Kay just walked in, shadowed by Biff and Jerry.

"Well, lookie here, my little gem," Phoenix says, sauntering up to where we're sitting. He drapes his arm over the back of my chair. "You need any company tonight?"

I shove his arm away. "Get lost, Phoenix," I growl. I have no idea why he's hitting on me, but I don't like the hungry look in his eyes.

"Aw, you don't mean that," he grins, and he's so repulsive I can't think of anything to say.

"You know what?" Phoenix continues, leaning in real close to me. Too close. "I think I could make you real happy."

"Why? Are you leaving?" Echo speaks up when I don't, getting a holler of laughter from everyone at the bar.

Phoenix blinks a few times, but then continues talking to me, unfazed. "How bout it, baby? Why don't I buy you a drink?"

"Actually, I think she'd rather have the money," Echo says sweetly, as I glare at him. After a few more whoops and guffaws from the guys around me, I smirk at Phoenix and turn to Echo to find another table.

As soon as I turn my back, I feel something cold and wet tossed on me. I freeze, and the smell of alcohol hits my nose.

In disbelief, I turn back to face Phoenix, who has a smug expression on his face. He's holding an empty glass, one of the drinks Echo and I had been about to abandon.

"Why, you sonofa-" I curse, stepping forward and smacking him across the face. He grabs me by the forearms and flings me across the room.

The bar is silent for a moment.

Then all hell breaks loose.

A bunch of random guys rush Phoenix, who calls for Biff. The rest of the hoods in the bar are soon in on it, and everyone is punching someone.

Someone drags me to my feet.

"Jesus, Ace, I can't believe you're here alone!" a surprised Dally says urgently. I hadn't noticed him when we walked in. "A bar fight is no place for a girl!"

To reinforce his statement, someone rushes us with a broken bottle. Dally steps in front of me and takes the blow with raised hands, then twists the guy's arm behind his back and sends him flying.

"Damnit," Dally swears, glancing at his bleeding arm. "Get out of here before it gets any worse!"

"I'm not leaving without Echo!" I snap. I hear police sirens in the distance, as I scan the crowd for my friend.

Of course, I spot her standing on the pool table, whacking random people with a cue stick.

"Stay here," Dally orders, shoving me behind an artificial potted plant. He then vaults over to the pool table and drags Echo off of it, kicking and screaming.

"Let go of me, you freak!" She yells, pounding him with her fists. Dally hardly notices.

"There, now the two of you need to get on home, _now!" _Dally orders, before some guy punches him in the gut, and he goes down.

Suddenly, the doors of the bar swing open, and several policemen burst in.

One of them steps back outside and fires a few shots into the air. The bar goes silent.

"Who's the cause of this?" the cop in front demands loudly.

"That's the kid who started it!" the man behind the bar says, pointing at me, and I glare at him.

One cop makes a beeline for me and roughly grabs me by the arm.

"Young lady, you're under arrest," he says gruffly, dragging me out to a police car. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an- _Ouch!"_

"Get your fat-ass hands off her!" Echo says, after kicking the officer in the shin. "She didn't do nothin'!"

"Echo," I say warningly, and the cop just looks down at us and smirks.

"Now _you're_ under arrest, too, young lady," he says smugly, immediately whipping out a pair of handcuffs and shoving me and Echo against the car. "For assaulting a federal officer."

I inwardly groan as he slaps the handcuffs onto my wrists.

"Ace? Echo?" I hear a guy call out, and I turn to see a very confused Dally stagger out of the bar, clutching his abdomen. He looks at me in disbelief, and I shake my head.

"Hey, I know you!" another officer glares at Dally, pulling out a pair of handcuffs for him, too. Dally curses loudly as he's shoved into the back of a cruiser.

The last thing I see before Echo and I are pushed into the squad car is Phoenix's smug face.

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"I hate you right now, you know that, Echo?" I swear, leaning my head against the cold cement wall. "I hate you so damn much."

"Chill, we'll be fine," Echo reasons, lighting a cigarette. She seems ridiculously calm. "One night in the cooler ain't gonna kill us."

"What about when we get home?" I demand, getting nervous. My heart is pounding, and I feel the beginning of a headache coming up behind my temples.

"You've got a fair point there," she acknowledges, taking a long drag on her cigarette.

"So what're we gonna do? I can't call Darry, Soda, or Pony, they'll kill me!" I exclaim. My hands are shaking real bad.

I snap my fingers and point to Echo's cigarettes. Wordlessly, she hands me one. I never smoke, partly because I don't like to and partly because I'm not allowed to, but I'm too hyped up to care about either reason. Echo leans up and lights it for me, and I hold on to my cigarette like it's a lifeline, taking drags that are probably too deep.

"I ain't callin' Two-Bit," Echo sighs, frowning. "I only get one bail-out a month, and he makes damn sure I know it. I've already used three months worth in advance."

"I can't spend the night here!" I say, almost pleadingly. I know she won't give in and call her brother, but I'm desperate. "Darry's gonna be worried sick, he's probably called the hospital by now!"

Echo takes another long drag. "Well, there's only one thing we can do."

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"Glory, that's one call I never thought I'd get," Riley says as we walk out of the jail twenty minutes later. He had shown up with the bail money only ten minutes after we had called him. He must've ran every red light to make it here this quick.

Dally had been hauled down to a jail in the next county, to be questioned for some random crime. I don't worry about him, he's got enough experience with that stuff so I know he'll be alright.

"Please don't tell Darry," I beg, as I climb into his pickup truck next to Echo. "And don't tell Soda or Pony, either."

Riley snorts. "I ain't a snitch, don't worry. Heck, I'll even give you an alibi. Your call came in the middle of a party I was at, just say you were there with me all night. I'll swear to Darry on a stack of Bibles."

"Thanks," I say, relieved.

"You're the best," Echo grins, and he winks at her.

"Anything for you two."

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"Goddamnit, Emerald Grace. It's three o'clock in the morning!" Darry swears at me the second I step foot in the house.

Darry's red in the face, nearly shaking with anger. Pony's hair is all mussed up, probably from running his fingers through it like he does when he's worried, and Soda looks awful; too pale and he's practically swaying on his feet.

"Where the _hell _have you been?" Darry demands when I don't respond.

Through the window, I see Riley's headlights disappear down the street.

"Who was that?" Ponyboy asks, following my gaze. He doesn't sound suspicious or angry, just curious.

"Riley," I say nonchalantly.

"What were you doing together?" Darry asks, and unlike Pony his question is filled with suspicion.

My cheeks flush. "I went to a party at his house," I say, using the lie Riley had thought of.

"Jesus Christ, what were you doin' at a party?" Darry asks, getting more and more frustrated. "Why didn't you at least tell us?"

"It's none of your business!" I snap at my brothers, and I don't miss the hurt looks that flash across Pony's and Soda's faces.

"Don't you talk back to me," Darry warns, and I note the lack of emotion. "And of course it's our business. For all we knew, you were dead in a ditch! Then the state'd come and take Pony away. Is that what you want?"

I stamp my foot, probably reinforcing the idea in Darry's mind that I'm an immature kid, but I don't care. I storm past him to my room, but he catches my arm.

"You smell like beer and cigarettes!" he exclaims, getting upset again,

"So does Pony, but you never yell at him about it!" I say angrily, yanking my arm out of his grip.

"Emerald Grace, you know that's different!"

"It's cuz he's a_ boy_!"

"That's not what I meant-"

"But it's_ true_!"

"_Yes_ it's true!" Darry yells, pointing a finger back and forth between me and Ponyboy. "_He's_ a boy, and _you're _a girl! _He_ knows what he's doing, and _he_ can take care of himself-"

"And_ I _can't?" I demand, my voice as loud as Darry's.

"No you_ damn well _can't!" Darry shouts, slamming his palm on the counter. Soda and I jump.

"That's not fair," Pony says softly, stepping between Darry and me. "Emmy can take care of herself just fine."

"Don't you start on me, too, Ponyboy Michael Curtis," Darry says dangerously. Ponyboy knows he's close to being in trouble, but he doesn't back down.

"You know Emmy is perfectly capable of handling herself," he says calmly, and I have to smile to myself. Leave it to Pony to be the diplomat. "If she wants to go to a party, she can. I'm not saying it's okay that she didn't tell us," Pony says quickly, when Darry starts to protest, "but you know she'd be okay. The kid uses her head a lot more than I used to."

Darry sighs, silently acknowledging that Pony is right.

He turns back to me. "Get to bed. You have school in the morning, I don't care how hungover you are." Which isn't fair, since I haven't had a drop of alcohol tonight, but I decide not to argue.

I turn on my heels and try not to stomp on my way into the bedroom.

Once I have on my pajamas, Soda comes in, still looking like shit, even more so now since he hates it when Darry and I fight. Heck, he hates it when any of us fight.

We just look at each other for a moment, then he speaks quietly.

"Emmy, I know when you're lying. You know you can't hide it from me."

That's true. I can lie to Darry, and sometimes even to Ponyboy, but Sodapop can always tell when I'm lying. I don't know how he does it, but he always just knows.

I crawl into bed, but don't say anything.

Soda sighs and lays down beside me. "You don't have to tell me where you were if you don't want to," he tells me, "but just know that I know you weren't out at no party. You wouldn't have been smoking if you were just at a party."

Damn. It was the cigarette that gave me away. I only had one! But I should have known Soda would figure it out. He just knows me too well.

I frown, and I almost tell him where I was, but I decide not to. I've given him enough gray hair as it is tonight. Maybe I'll tell him tomorrow, when I can't get in any more trouble.

"Oh, and Emmy?" Soda says quietly.

"Yeah, Sodapop?"

"I know you ain't drunk."

I giggle. "Gee, thanks. How'd you guess?"

Soda grins and rolls over to look me in the eye. "Because if you were, you'd be puking your guts out. Little girls can't hold their liquor."

I smack him on the side of his head, remembering the night the Royals and Stallions went out and got completely wasted. "Oh yeah? One of these days, I'll show you," I yawn, my eyes closing.

"I don't think Darry will be very happy on that day," Soda jokes, as he wraps his arms around me. He smells like gasoline, just like always, and I snuggle into his clean cotton shirt.

"I hope you ain't hungover in the morning, anyway," he teases one last time before we both fall asleep.

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**A/N**

**Thanks fore reading!:) Hope you liked it. Thanks to all the guest reviewers, and thanks for all the follows and favorites, I really appreciate them!:)**

**Also, might as well start warning you now: I got a summer job, at a camp with limited wifi. I will be working 16+ hours a day, 7 days a week, which doesn't leave any time for writing:( So, all my stories will be suspended from May 25th, to August 4rd, so sorry! I will come back and finish them all, though, I promise:)**

**And, I am opening up a Ponyboy's girlfriend OC contest!:) Fill out the following form and PM it to me, don't enter in the reviews:**

**Name:  
Age:  
Physical description:  
Personality:  
History:**

**If your submission is interesting, I'll PM you for more details:)**

**And finally, go vote on the "Who Should I Kill Off?" poll on my profile:)**

**Thanks again for reading! Please review:)**

**Xoxoxo,**

**EmMarie**


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, after I get ready for the day and sit down at the kitchen table, Darry still looks like he's upset with me. To try and take the edge off, I help him with breakfast, and by the time the waffles are done he's stopped glaring at me every two seconds.

Two-Bit and Echo come in through the front door, both greeting Darry with a smile. Two-Bit doesn't seem to be upset with his sister in the least, so I assume she managed to sneak back inside her house without anyone noticing. I don't think he even realizes she was out last night, because he cracks a few jokes about how horribly tired she looks.

Ponyboy and Soda finally wake up, and join us in the kitchen. Soda gets the chocolate cake out of the fridge and starts cutting everyone slices, while Ponyboy and I set the table.

"Did you hear Dally got hauled down to the station last night?" Pony asks, as the six of us gather around the table to eat. "He called last night. I think they locked him up."

"They sure as hell didn't," Dally says, surprising everyone by walking through the front door. Echo and I stare at him.

"So you two got away from the fuzz alright, too?" Dally asks us, sitting down in a chair.

The room goes deathly silent.

Echo shakes her head at Dally, begging him to not say anymore.

"The fuzz?" Two-Bit asks his sister. "What the hell's he talking about?"

"I swear I saw that cop put you two in the back of his cruiser," Dally frowns, and I swallow hard.

"_What?_"Darry asks tersely, giving me an intense stare. "You two were locked up?"

Dally's jaw drops slightly, and he quickly tries to cover for us.

"I didn't mean-"

"_ASHLEY!_" Two-Bit shouts, shoving his chair away from the table and pulling his sister to her feet. "You and me are going home right this second, and we are going to have a serious talk!"

"_Keith_!" Echo shouts back, trying to twist out of his grasp. "It was nothing! We didn't even start the fight!"

"_What _fight?" Darry demands, getting to his feet as well and hauling me out of my chair.

"It wasn't our fault, the bartender just blamed us!" I say, trying to squirm away.

"THE _BARTENDER_!?" Two-Bit, Darry, Soda, and Pony all yell at the same time.

"Damn it, Dally!" Echo curses, as we're both dragged to the couch.

"Sit," Darry orders angrily. "You have five seconds to explain before you're grounded for life."

"It was Echo's idea!" I say, as Echo says, "It was Ace's idea!"

"Four seconds," Darry warns.

I glance at Echo.

"Is this a good time for the truth?" she asks.

"Unless you can think of a lie," I sigh.

Her face brightens as she turns towards our expectant brothers. "Oh, yes! Ace and I got kidnapped by these two guys, and they dragged us into a bar, where they-"

"Not now, Ashley," Two-Bit glares, his gray eyes stormy.

"I thought you were at a party with Riley?" Ponyboy asks.

I sigh again. "Truth is, Echo and I went out to a bar to celebrate the Royal's five year anniversary. We were just going to have one drink," I say hurriedly, when Soda opens his mouth to scold me. "Anyway, we ran into Phoenix there, and-"

"And he tried to put the moves on Ace," Echo picks up. "I figured none of you wanted him touchin' her, so we told him to back off. When we tried to leave, he threw a beer on Ace, and she smacked him."

"Then after the barfight started, the bartender called the cops and they arrested me when the bartender told them it was my fault," I add.

"Why did Ash get arrested?" Two-Bit asks.

"She kicked one of the cops and called him a 'fat-ass,'" I say. "They arrested her for, what was the exact wording?" I ask Echo.

"For 'assaulting a federal officer,'" Echo answers, "but he was stupid as hell."

"The coppers hauled me into the station, too," Dally says helpfully from the table. "It all happened just like they said, I was there."

"Why didn't you tell them to leave the bar?" Darry asks, crossing his arms.

"I didn't see them until the fight started," Dally protests. "At least I got them out!"

"And he saved me from some guy with a bottle," I chip in. "Look at his arm!"

Dally holds up his bandaged forearm, and Darry's frown disappears slightly.

Two-Bit is rolling his eyes. He and Darry exchange a glance, and Echo and I both groan because we know what's coming.

"You're grounded," they both say in unison.

"You can't go anywhere for at least a month," Two-Bit says sternly.

"Not even to our court hearing?" Echo asks innocently.

Ponyboy turns and bangs his head on the wall.

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Long story short, the weeks following were long and stressful. Darry and Two-Bit brought us to our hearing, and we were fined $200. Needless to say, neither of our brothers were happy to cough up the dough.

By the time the county fair rolled around, everyone was wound up tight.

Since Darry promised we could all go see Riley and Dally race if they made it to the finals, he grudgingly let me go when both of them passed the preliminary rounds.

"Emerald-Grace, I swear, if you put even one toe out of line," Darry threatens before we leave the house. He had taken to using my full name ever since the sentencing. "You are going to be grounded until I die."

"I'll be good, Dar, I promise," I say earnestly, and he shakes his head, but opens the door for us all to leave anyway.

When we get to the rodeo, we realize there are conflicting schedules. Riley and Dally are going to race at the same time Denver and Skittery compete in bull riding and saddle bronc, and when Denver and Skittery are participating in the team roping competition, Montgomery and Scarlett would be barrel racing.

We decide to split up. I go to watch Denver and Skittery ride, because I haven't seen either event in so long, and I don't have money on Riley or Dally.

Steve, Scarlett, Tim, Curly, Mickey, Johnny, Lindsay, Montgomery, Echo, and Parker all sit with me on the bleachers as we wait for the rodeo to start.

The gate in the corral opens, and the craziest bull I've ever seen comes raging out. Denver's holding on tight, as the bull jerks around ferociously, trying to dislodge him by spinning and bucking.

After seven seconds, the bull suddenly bucks even more violently, and whirls around in a tight circle.

Denver goes flying across the corral.

Skittery jumps up and hops the fence the second Denver hits the ground hard. Denver is scrambling away as the bull heads straight for him, and the Royals all gasp. Damn Mickey starts screaming.

Skittery hauls Denver to his feet and drags him over the the fence, shoving him under just before they're both trampled. We all clamber over our seats and are at their sides in an instant.

"You okay?" Skittery's asking, as Denver's hunched over with his hands on his knees, breathing hard. He hit the side of his face on the ground, and he's probably going to end up with a black eye.

"I think so," Denver winces. Then, he looks up at our worried faces and grins. "And that's why nobody wants to ride Diablo."

"Not that I cared, but I thought you were done for," Mickey remarks, frowning at him.

"I heard you screaming," he frowns back. "You probably scared Diablo into coming after us."

Mickey sniffs and struts off.

"She'll be back when she gets lost," Echo grins, though Curly and Tim follow her anyway. "But, _damn_, Denver. I might've chosen me the wrong cowboy."

Denver laughs and Skittery winks at her. "You just wait, darlin'. You ain't seen nothing yet."

And it turns out, he was right. When they call his name to ride saddle bronc, we watch in amazement as he stays on for a full eight seconds before flying off.

Denver vaults over the gate to pull him under the fence, and Echo, Soda, and I rush to meet them.

"Glory, I miss that," Soda says wistfully, shaking his head. "That was some mighty fine riding, there."

Skittery winces, then grins, as an announcement blares through the speakers.

"That concludes our scheduled competitors. The saddle bronc competition is now open to all."

Soda's eyes light up, as he glances at the table where a few cowboys are already starting to line up.

"Go for it, Soda!" I hear Steve yell through the crowd. As the rest of the Royals start clapping in agreement, I silently curse him.

"Soda don't," I plead, grabbing his shirtsleeve. "Darry's gonna kill you, and I don't want you to get hurt."

He just gives me his reckless, troublemaker grin and says, "Don't worry, Ace. It'll be alright. Now, go cheer me on with everybody else!"

Soda heads towards the sign-up table, and I watch him with a worried frown on my face.

"Really, don't worry, Ace," Skittery leans over and whispers in my ear. "I'll make sure he doesn't get any of the really wild horses, he'll be fine."

"Thanks, Skittery," I say, feeling a little better. I go and join the gangs on the bleachers.

"I sure wish I could ride a horse," Lindsay sighs, glancing at some palominos in a nearby corral.

Parker's face brightens. "Y-you w-want to r-ride one t-today?"

"You mean it?" Lindsay asks in awe. When Parker nods, she turns to Johnny. "Oh, can I? Please?"

"Y-you c-can come, t-too," Parker offers, when he sees Johnny hesitate.

"Lets go," Johnny smiles, and Lindsay looks happier than I've ever seen her.

After the three of them walk off towards Parker's corral, the speakers suddenly crackle again.

"Our first walk-in contestant is one of Tulsa's own. Put your hands together for Sodapop Curtis!"

I grip the edge of my seat as the bucking bronco careens out of the gate. Even though Soda hasn't ridden in years, it looks like it's coming back naturally to him. He's whooping and hollering, and with his hat and boots he looks like a real cowboy.

I say a silent thank-you to Skittery when Soda stays on for a full seven seconds, and manages to jump off and stagger away relatively safely.

When we all rush down to congratulate him, he's wearing the biggest smile I've seen in a long time.

"That was incredible!" he grins, as Steve high-fives him.

"Nice job, Soda," I say, giving him a hug around his waist. "That was awesome."

"_Sodapop Patrick Curtis_!"

Everyone's grin slides off their face when they see Darry storming up.

"I heard them announce your name over the loudspeaker," Darry says furiously. "I thought to myself, my stupid little brother would never do something as dumb as that, but I was wrong! What the hell were you thinking? You could have gotten hurt! You know dad didn't want you riding anymore- it's dangerous and-"

"Calm down," Soda says placatingly. "Lookit, I'm alright." He spreads his arms out to show Darry there's not a scratch on him.

My oldest brother frowns as he points to Soda's knees. "You've got blood all over you!"

Soda looks down, surprised, as he notices he's skinned both his knees, probably from when he dismounted.

"Aw, I'm alright," he says, wincing even so.

Darry's frown deepens. "We're going home right now."

"That's not fair!" Echo and I protest. If Darry and Soda leave, then Echo, Two-Bit, Pony, and I have to leave too, since Darry's our ride.

"Superman, we didn't do anything wrong," Echo whines, and Soda nods in agreement.

"Don't make everyone go home just because_ I _was bad," Soda says. "I'll walk."

"Could you walk home even if you wanted to?" Darry asks pointedly, and Soda's face falls. "That's what I thought. Come on, girls, we're going home."

"If it's alright, I could drive Echo and Ace home when we're done," Skittery offers, when Echo and I start complaining again. "The two of you can head out and I'll bring them back before ten."

Darry considers this for a moment, then nods. "Alright. I guess I'll take Two-Bit and Pony with me, though, they wanted to go home anyway because they're bummed they lost money. Thanks kid."

"No problem," Skittery nods, and Darry grabs Soda by the upper arm and drags him away.

"How long is he gonna be able to ground a nineteen-year-old?" Echo giggles, watching them walk away.

"As long as his name's Darrel Curtis," I shrug.

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**A/N**

**Thanks so much for reading!:) Hope you liked the chapter... The next few chapters are gonna be where things start getting **_**really **_**interesting, so stay tuned!**

**Go vote on the poll on my page, por favor:)**

**Still taking Ponyboy's girlfriend submissions if they're PM'd to me- form is on the previous chapter.**

**And by the way, I had more to this chapter, but I had too little time to finish the rest:( So, add in your review if I should write out the scene I had planned where the Royals and Stallions mess around at the fair? It'd be in someone else's point of view, not Ace's. So also tell me who'd you like to narrate it:)**

**Again, thanks for reading! Please review:)**

**Xoxoxo,**

**EmMarie**


	9. Chapter 9

Not a week later, Darry and Two-Bit have forgotten Echo and I are grounded. Darry forgot because he was too upset with Soda to remember me, and Two-Bit forgot because, well, he's Two-Bit. So that's how the Stallions and Royals were allowed out on a picnic the next Sunday.

Echo and I are the only two left on the blanket. We're relaxing; she's smoking and I'm picking at the fruit tray. Everyone else is out in the grass, throwing a football around, but I could tell Echo had something on her mind. I just sit with her until she's ready to talk.

"You know what I don't get?" Echo suddenly asks me, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"What's that?"

"Skittery."

"What about him?" I ask, as I follow him with my eyes. He just made a spectacular catch, and is running to the end zone.

"I just can't figure him out," she huffs, blowing smoke through her lips. "Why does he hang with the Royals anyway? What made him want us to be buddies with the Stallions?"

"I dunno," I shrug, smiling a little as I watch Scarlett tackle him. He's nice enough to pretend she knocked him over, and she takes the football from him. "I guess he's just a nice guy."

"But he's so middle class," Echo frowns. "And we're so lower class. What's he doing hanging around with a bunch of Greaser girls? He could be like Jett, working his way up to Soc level, except he'd deserve it. He's good enough, real classy, even without the money. He could do it, you know."

"I bet he could," I agree. "Just like how Darry could've been a Soc, even though we never had any money either. I guess some people got it and some people don't, no matter what class they're in."

"He's got it," Echo sighs happily, watching as he smiles and applauds the other team for making a goal. "But you know what I really don't get about him?"

"Hm?"

"How he's always calling us 'ladies,' and treating us like we are," she sighs again, staring at her cigarette. "He treats us all real decent, even though we're practically hoods."

"Aw, we ain't that bad," I try to dismiss her, but she goes on.

_"I_ am," she insists. "All I do is cuss, and steal, and smoke, and cheat, and he never does any of that. He's decent to me anyway, real decent. Acts like I'm better than I am. He treats me like I'm classy. Why?"

"You know what Pony would say?" I ask, and she shakes her head. "Pony would say he's gallant."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"No idea," I shrug. "He read it in Gone With the Wind."

Echo's silent for a while, and she puts her cigarette out on the bottom on her black Converse. "Whatever it means, I'm sure Pony's right."

"He usually is. I'll have to get him to explain later."

Echo's goes silent again, then says softly, "I like him an awful lot."

"He likes you an awful lot, too," I assure her.

"He shouldn't."

"But he does anyway."

Echo smiles. "I know. He tells me all the time. I still wish he wouldn't, but I'm sure glad he does."

"Come on," I say, getting to my feet and brushing the dirt off the back of my jeans. "Let's help your boyfriend win this game."

She grins, and I pull her to her feet.

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When it starts getting late, we pack up and go for a walk around town. We all walk in pairs, and I find myself next to Skittery, talking and laughing.

"It's a shame Jett didn't come," Skittery shakes his head, after we'd relived the day's fun. "He promised he'd be here, but he must've not been able to get away."

"That's too bad," I frown. "I think he would've had a good time."

"I nearly couldn't get the day off," he tells me. "I have to work overtime for the next two weeks, but I think it's worth it. I needed a little break."

"That's the difference between us. The last thing the Greasers need is another break," I laugh. "All they do is screw around. Sure, Soda and Steve have the DX, Darry roofs, Johnny works at the restaurant, and Two-Bit works at a bar, but they're not really working for anything, you know?"

"Darry and Soda work for you and Pony," Skittery points out.

"That's different," I smile. "But everyone else, they just work. If they decide they don't like their job, they just up and quit to work somewhere else. They never try and go anywhere. We work and work, just to make ends meet, but we never really make it anywhere."

"You know what I think?" Skittery says, staring up at the slowly reddening sky.

"What's that?" I ask, following his gaze and admiring the sunset.

"Sometimes I think the middle class has got it the worst," he sighs.

"Why do you say that?" I ask confusedly. "You've got more money than all the Greasers, the middle class is pretty set."

"I say that because we all have to work so darn hard," he says frustratedly. "Lower class; they've resigned themselves to being lower class. That's why they all steal, cheat, and don't ever try and get out of this town. It's almost hopeless for them. Soc's; now, they've got it made. They don't have to lift a finger until they get out of college, which they can easily pay for. But the middle? We're the seams. We're halfway. We have to work so hard because we're almost either side, and we have to swim as hard as we can just to stay afloat."

"I never thought about it like that," I say, realizing he's right. "Greasers are always gonna be Greasers, and maybe they don't try. But it really is hopeless for most of us."

Skittery shrugs.

"Damn Soc's," I add as an afterthought.

"It's not their fault," Skittery shrugs, and I marvel at how he tries to see the best in everyone. "I'm sure if you or I had been born into a rich family, we'd take just as much advantage of it as they do."

"I guess you're right," I sigh.

Skittery's silent for a moment, then asks, "What are you gonna do with your life, Ace?"

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"I mean, what do you want to do when you get older?"

I think about it for a moment. "I want to go to college. I'm not sure what I want to study, but I want to get an education."

Skittery smiles. "Good for you, Ace. University of Oklahoma?"

"Yeah."

"Same here," Skittery nods.

"Whatcha gonna study?"

"Political Science, I think," Skittery says hesitantly. "I'm not too sure yet either."

"That's good," I tell him. "It'll be fun to go to college together."

He smiles. "It'll be the best"

We walk in silence for a few minutes before I hear Echo joking loudly and remember something.

"You probably should go talk to Echo," I tell him, just remembering my earlier conversation.

"What's wrong?" Skittery asks, immediately catching my tone.

"Just make sure she knows you love her," I say. "But make sure you mean it."

"I will," Skittery nods. "And I do."

We walk along, but suddenly Denver stops in front of us and I crash into him.

"Why'd you stop?" I ask, but when he doesn't answer I turn to see where he's looking.

Over the fence in the vacant lot, Jett is surrounded by Prisms and Soc's, and he seems to be having a grand old time.

I raise my eyebrows, but I can't say I'm too surprised.

Skittery, on the other hand, looks shocked, and Denver is angrier than a swarm of hornets.

Denver storms up and shoves open the gate to the fence, and the Royals and Stallions march up to Jett.

"Get lost, hoods," one of the Prism girls jeers at us. Scarlett makes to go after her, but Mickey grabs her arm to stop her.

"What's this, Jett?" Skittery asks confusedly, as he stares around at the mixture of Prisms and Soc's. "Is this where you've been all night?"

Jett's not quite meeting any of our eyes. "Sorry, I forgot we were supposed to hang out," he says, kicking a rock on the ground.

"What are you doing with these guys?" Skittery asks evenly, but I can hear he's tense.

"Isn't it obvious?" an irritating female voice speaks up from the crowd. Skittery stiffens as Valeri Kay makes her way to the front. "He's with us now. Nice to see you, Skit, sweetheart."

Skittery's speechless, but I'm not.

"Jett, please tell me she's lying," I say, trying to be reasonable and give him another chance to redeem himself.

He doesn't answer, just shrugs and kicks another rock.

"So we're not good enough?" Denver demands, gesturing to the Royals and Stallions. "You want to be one of them now?"

He's still silent.

"Why?" Skittery asks softly.

Valeri smirks at him and hooks her arm through Jett's, then leans up to kiss him on the cheek. Her lipstick leaves a bright pink smear.

"His girlfriend is more important than any outcast gang," she scoffs at Skittery. "Jett's smart, he knows what's best for him. The Prisms have more members, more territory, and more power. Why would he ever want to be a Stallion?"

Denver and Echo break out into an almost identical string of curse words.

"I knew you were no good!" Scarlett spits at him. "I knew you'd pull something like this the minute you got the chance!"

"Jett, how could you?" I ask, trying to be reasonable and set a good example for the Royals. "You know what the Prisms and Soc's are like. You know what kind of stuff they do. You know how rotten they treat people, they're no good!"

The Prisms all glare at me, and Jett finally speaks up.

"You don't get it, do you?" he says loudly. "The Stallions don't have what the Prisms do!"

"Do you mean rich daddies and fancy cars?" Echo scowls.

"Not just that," Jett glowers. "But I'm not going to stay in some little hick group if I can do better! I switched to the Prisms after they showed me how much better I can be with them. They have more influence and power than just four guys who stick together to avoid getting beat up. I want to be in whatever gang can offer me the most!"

"I was right," Denver scowls. "You don't get it, and you're never going to get it. Whatever they're telling you now, nobody likes or trusts someone who gang hops. Now you're never going to belong anywhere, and you're always going to be an outsider, just like I said!"

That seems to make Jett a little nervous, but he shrugs it off. "Whatever, Denver. I'm not going to put too much weight on the words of a guy who's not man enough to stand up to his own dad. That's where that shiner came from, isn't it?" he says, pointing at the black eye Denver got from the rodeo.

Blue eyes blazing, Denver steps forward to hit him, but surprisingly Parker gets there first. He decks Jett, hitting him square on the jaw, and he goes down.

"Come on," Parker says angrily his stutter disappearing, as he grabs one of Denver's arms and Skittery grabs the other. "We're outta here."

We all give Jett a dirty look before walking away. Echo adds an obscene gesture.

Denver's cursing under his breath. "The cowardly sonofabitch! What does he know? _Nothing_!"

"I can't believe him," I shake my head, rubbing Denver's shoulder. "You're right, he doesn't know anything, so don't pay any attention to him."

Once we've walked far enough away, Denver pulls a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lights one, then passes the pack around.

Skittery's silent as he leans against a building and rubs his hand over his face.

Echo goes up and squeezes his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Skittery," she says softly. "And don't you listen to him. He don't know nothin'."

"No, it's not anything _he_ said," Skittery says, looking shaken. "It's Valeri."

"What about her?" Echo asks, surprised.

"I know what she's doing," Skittery sighs. "She's using him, then when she's done with him she's gonna toss him aside like yesterday's trash. She's going to suck him into the Prisms, then ruin him. I know."

"What do you mean?" Echo asks.

He sighs again. "I know, because she did it to me."

"What?" I ask, staring at him. "You used to date Valeri Kay?"

"Yeah," he frowns. "I'm not proud of it, but yes. I thought I was in love, then she cheated on me and broke my heart. Then, I found out it wasn't only one guy she was cheating on me with, but three. She was just using me because I helped her with some school homework. I was so stupid," he sighs, leaning his head against the wall. "And I'm stupid for not seeing this coming."

Echo frowns for a minute, then wraps her arms around him. "You're stupid," she agrees.

"What?" Skittery asks, looking down at her.

"Aw, this ain't your fault," she scoffs. "Who says you coulda stopped it, anyway?"

Skittery considers that.

"Exactly," Echo points out. "Now kiss me, it'll make you feel better."

Skittery smiles, then obliges.

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**A/N**

**Okay, here we go! Now things will start to get ****_very_**** interesting:)**

**Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it:) ****BTW, this was written on a sleep-deprived caffeine high, so I hope it's okay lol XD**

**Also, thanks to all the guest reviewers, love you!**

**Go vote on the "Who Should I Kill Off?" poll on my profile;)**

**Please review:)**

**Xoxoxo,**

**EmMarie**


	10. Chapter 10

A week passes, and things seem to cool down. Echo still gives Jett a dirty look every time we see him at school, but the Stallions all seem to have recovered from his treachery.

"You wanna go to a party this weekend?" Denver asks me one day whens we're standing by our lockers, as he shoves his hands into his pockets.

"Where at?" I ask.

He shrugs. "Some guy is throwing a party on Saturday."

"What'll we do there?" I ask.

He grins. "Oh, you know. Hang out, listen to the music they're playing, have fun."

I smile. "What then?"

"Then, if the music is good, we dance."

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Since Darry and Soda are out, I get permission from Pony to attend the party. He reminds me not to get into a car with someone who's been drinking, then tells me to be back before midnight.

Riley's truck rolls into the driveway, and I skip out the door towards it.

"Hey, Aces," Denver greets, throwing open the passenger door and holding out a hand to pull me in.

"Hey," I smile back as I sit down and turn to buckle my seatbelt. Riley pulls out of the driveway, and I see Skittery's truck in front of us, also full of people.

"Did you guys pick up Echo yet?" I ask, trying to see through the other truck's windows.

"Yeah," Riley answers. "We just have to get Mickey now."

Denver scowls, and I can't help but laugh at him. "Is Parker coming along?"

"No, he had to go to the country club again," Riley sighs. "Poor kid."

"How come Montgomery couldn't make it?" Denver asks me.

"She's out with Johnny," I grin. "It's the first date they've been on in ages; Dally's out of town and Two-Bit is babysitting Lindsay."

The boys smile, as we pull up to Mickey's place.

Riley glances at his watch. "She said she'd be waiting outside at six."

He taps on the horn twice, and I can practically see Skittery's disapproving face.

"I'll go get her," I sigh, after several long moments when honking the horn yields no results.

I head up the front steps and open the door of the Shepard home, then carefully step around the mess of beer bottles and dirty clothes.

"Mickey, come on!" I call, afraid to go any further. "Where are you?"

"In here!" she calls from the hallway bathroom, and I bravely make my way towards her.

She's standing in front of the mirror, applying a coat of mascara.

"God, Mickey, hurry up!" I say impatiently. "We're already going to be late!"

"It's better to arrive late than to arrive ugly," she says, picking up a comb and teasing her hair.

"Do that in the car," I roll my eyes, snatching the comb out of her hands and grabbing her wrists to drag her out to the waiting vehicle.

We pull up to a house, and there's a lot going on already. Lights are flashing, and the music is cranked up loud. We all ease into the crowd and relax, letting loose.

As promised, Denver and I dance. He's quite good and has excellent rhythm, and avoids stepping on my toes. After one slow dance, we sort of drift apart.

Hours later, I realize I've lost my group, not that it matters. I had been hanging out with some of the girls from my class, but now that it's getting late I searched out Echo or any of the familiar gang.

I head down a hallway, scanning the crowd. There are several doors ajar, and I give each one a glance before passing by.

At the end of the hallway, I see a familiar figure sitting on a sofa through the gap in the door. I'm just about to walk in towards him when I see another familiar face.

_Valeri Kay._

_What's Skittery doing with Phoenix's sister?_ I wonder, pressing myself flat against the wall to hear what they're saying.

"You know you miss me," I hear Valeri say, and Skittery clears his throat.

"And you know we're over, Val," Skittery says in a gentlemanly voice. "I don't want to give you the wrong message."

"Are you still upset over that guy I kissed when we were dating?" Valeri pouts. "He didn't mean anything. You were always a much better kisser."

I hear Skittery make a strange, small noise, and I'm sure his resolve's crumbling. The sofa makes a creaking sound like someone just sat on it.

"You remember when we used to do this?" Valeri's voice is nearly a whisper. "You know you miss me."

"You have a guy, and I have a girl," Skittery says firmly, and I can hear he's getting brave again.

"But she doesn't kiss you like this, does she?"

I can't stand it anymore. I step into the doorway to see Skittery and Valeri, lips locked, her on top of him on the corner of the couch. Her fingers are tangled in his hair, and his hands are somewhere between them.

Skittery immediately jumps up and away, like he's been shocked.

"Ace, this isn't what you think- I swear!" Skittery sputters, backing against the wall.

Valeri smirks at me. "Who's this, baby? Your girl?" she asks Skittery, standing up and reaching for his hand.

He firmly pushes her away, but is gentle enough not to hurt her.

Skittery glares at her, but looks so upset he can't speak.

"Come on," I mutter to him, putting my arm around his shoulder and steering him out of the room.

I walk him out to the backyard and sit him on a bench.

"You've got about five seconds to explain, then I'm getting Echo," I warn, and he immediately starts talking.

"She grabbed me and pulled me into the room!" Skittery sputters. "I tried to leave, but she pushed me onto the couch. You know we used to date and she screwed me over, but she's showing interest in me again. I don't want her though, Ace, I swear, I don't want to have anything to do with her!"

"But you two were kissing for a good five seconds," I point out, frowning.

"Three," he protests. "And I didn't want to, she just sort of jumped on me! Please, don't tell Echo. She'll hate me."

"I dunno, Skit," I said, still frowning. "She's my best friend. I think she'll want to know."

"Let _me_ tell her then," Skittery begs. "Please? At least give me the chance to explain it to her."

"Fine, _you_ tell her," I say, sighing. "Could you take me home now? This isn't much fun anymore."

"I'll go round up the gang," Skittery says immediately, heading into the crowd. "Wait by the front door!"

_Boys are always so much trouble_, I frown to myself, as I wait for Skittery to gather the group together.

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The whole week at school, I give Skittery pointed looks. I'm not sure if he's told Echo or not, but I don't want to bring it up to her in case he hasn't.

When both of the gangs are hanging out after school, Skittery announces he has something to say, and we all turn our attentions to him.

"Jett cornered me before class ended today," Skittery tells us, getting a lot of surprised looks.

"What'd he want?" Montgomery frowned.

"He challenged me to a fight," Skittery sighs. "He says the Prisms won't accept him until he beats me up."

"Why you in particular?" Mickey asks.

"Maybe because he's the leader?" Denver says sarcastically.

"And Valeri probably put him up to it," Riley adds. "I know she'd love to see Jett beat up her ex boyfriend."

"He won't win though, right?" Lindsay smiles. "I've seen him punch. He couldn't hit a tree if he was six inches in front of it."

"We'll see," Skittery smiles back, but only a few of us catch that he sounds nervous. "I'm meeting him in half an hour."

"Where is it gonna be?" Denver asks quickly. "We'll be there."

"No, I don't want anyone else to come," Skittery says firmly. "I'm sure Jett will bring backup, but I don't want this duel becoming a war."

"Bull," Denver shakes his head. "You're not doing this alone."

"I have to," Skittery insists.

"That's stupid as hell. Do you want to get your ass kicked?"

"As long as I'm the only one!"

"Don't be an idiot, Skit, not about this," Denver says almost pleadingly. "It could be dangerous, it's probably a trap!"

"Just don't follow me," Skittery says, sounding nearly dangerous. "_Don't_."

"You can't stop me," Denver says stubbornly, his eyes suddenly flashing.

"Skittery's right," I say quietly, and everyone turns to face me.

"What the hell, Aces?" Denver demands. "You want him walking into who knows what- by himself?"

"Of course I don't," I snap, "but he's still right. Jett wants a one-on-one battle. I'm sure he's going to have backup, but this fight is different. He says he's not fitting in, right? So the Prisms won't cheat and help him win. This fight is for his honor. No one is going to be on his side."

"Thanks, Ace," Skittery smiles. "I don't want anyone involved who doesn't have to be. No one else has to get hurt."

"I still don't fricken like it," Denver frowns.

"Me neither," Riley says with a frown. "But you're still right."

"I'll meet you all back here in an hour," Skittery promises.

"Be careful," everyone else says in unison.

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"Damn it," Denver curses, running both hands through his jet black hair. "Damn it! Where the hell is he?"

We've been waiting for Skittery to get back for more than half an hour. Either the the fight didn't take place in Tulsa, or something went wrong.

"Stay cool, Denver," Riley says, looking chill as ever as he leans against the wall of a shop. "Calm down a bit."

"How do you expect me to do that, when my best friend is probably lying dead in a gutter?" Denver snaps.

Echo had just started smoking her last cigarette, but she hands it to Denver. He irritably takes a drag then hands it back.

"Stop being a drama queen," I say, as he exhales the smoke. "You know Skittery can handle himself just fine. Jett's nowhere near his match."

"I still think we should go look for him," Denver says, sounding a little desperate. "No fight should take this long, and I can't stand doing nothing."

"Where do we start?" Riley sighs. "You know there's a hundred good fighting places in Tulsa."

"Lets check the obvious places," Denver says. "Ace and I'll check the field near Jett's house. You and Mickey can look in the vacant lot, Montgomery, Scarlett, and Echo can search Hyde park, and Lindsay and Parker can check out Crystal Park."

"Got it," Riley says. "Everyone meet back here in twenty minutes, okay?"

"Alright," I say, before Denver practically drags me down the street towards the field.

I squeeze his shoulder gently. "You're overreacting. Jett's a loser, there's no way he held up Skittery this long. Maybe his car broke down."

"Maybe," Denver repeats, frowning, and I notice that his blue eyes get darker when he's worried.

"Ace?"

I look across the street when I hear my name called to see Johnny and Two-Bit, heading in the opposite direction that we are.

"Hey, wanna tag along on our search party?" I ask them, after they run across the street towards us without looking either way.

"Why not?" Two-Bit shrugs, and we fall into step behind Denver, who's already started walking again.

"Who're you lookin' for?" Johnny asks, walking quickly.

"Skittery," I tell him, taking two steps for each of their long strides.

"The tall guy we went to the rodeo with?"

"The very same."

"I like him," Two-Bit puts in thoughtfully. "He seemed like a good kid."

"Glad you approve of your little sister's boyfriend," I say, then crash into him as he stops abruptly.

"Her _what now?"_ he demands, but we're interrupted by Denver cursing loudly.

"Jesus, there he is," he says, quickening his pace and rushing towards the field. We all run after him, until we see Skittery lying on the ground, face down.

"Oh shit," Two-Bit breathes, and I know he's thinking of the time this happened to Johnny. I can't help but remember that day, too.

We gently roll Skittery over, and he stirs a little. His nose is bleeding, and there's a cut above his eye.

"Skit, come on," Denver says, slapping his friend's cheeks lightly. "Come on, you okay?"

"Hell, he's never gonna wake up that way," Two-Bit says loudly. "Does anyone have a beer?"

"You are _not_ pouring a beer on that kid," Johnny rolls his eyes.

"Who said it's for him?"

"Shut up, Two-Bit," Denver snaps.

Skittery moans, then blinks a few times and his eyes flutter open.

"Damn it, Skittery," Denver swears. "Goddamn you. What the hell were you thinking? I told you I should've gone with you! Damn you!"

"Sorry," Skittery mumbles, coughing. "I didn't see it coming."

"Damn right you didn't-" Denver fumes, but I cut him off.

"Save it," I tell him. "Let's get Skittery patched up first, then you can cuss at him all you want."

"Damn you, too, Aces," Denver curses anyway. "You're the one that stopped me."

"Thank God I did," I snap. "You want a war?"

"If I could've stopped this, then yes!" he shoots back.

"Jesus, Denver, could you keep your temper for a minute?" I say angrily to him. "Just help get him home."

Denver exhales hard through his nose, but pulls one of Skittery's arms over his shoulder to help him stand, while Two-Bit takes the other one.

"How many were there?" Denver asks, still sounding angry, but his voice is quieter.

"There was a big audience, but only Jett fought," Skittery sighs.

"Are you serious?" I ask incredulously. "He _beat_ you?"

"Jett won fair and square," Skittery insists, but he has a strange look in his eyes. "He beat me and won."

Denver, Two-Bit, and Johnny all curse, so I guess I'm the only one who could tell.

He's lying.

I glance at his undamaged knuckles, which should be cracked and bloody from the fight, and something in my mind clicks, but doesn't make sense.

Skittery didn't even try. He threw the fight, and let Jett win.

But why?

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**A/N**

**Thanks for reading! Sorry I haven't updated in a while!**

**Hope you liked it:) Thanks to all the guest reviewers, I really appreciate it!**

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**Xoxoxo,**

**EmMarie**


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